


Ang Lodi Kong Petmalu: #Big4AU 2.0

by jugjugan (daeseol)



Category: EXO (Band), NCT (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Basketball, Big4AU, Crushes, M/M
Language: Wikang Filipino
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-01-17 03:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12356895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daeseol/pseuds/jugjugan
Summary: Eiffel, n. (ī′fəl). Minsan tower, madalas ako sa'yo.Kwento ng mga La Sallians na di pa pinapana pero tinamaan na, mga Atenistang pag kasama mo parang nasa langit na, mga Iskong ipaglalaban ka, at mga Tomasinong...luluhuran ka.





	1. Ang Pagkikita

**Author's Note:**

> Yehey for a new Big 4 AU? Not the same universe as the original Big 4 AU though.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalo ng Ateneo ang La Salle sa first rivalry game and as a caring friend, Sehun thought na kelangan niya i-comfort ang team captain at best buddy na si Johnny. But when another member of the basketball team came, it looked like the sweets were turning Johnny from a basketball player to a matchmaker. Sehun wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, a new Big 4 AU kahit La Sallian si Sehun. He isn’t a basketball player here but is a regular student. New characters! Yes, Johnny the Green Archers team captain, and Jeonghan the other basketball player. You can still use the hashtag #Big4AU though! Or siguro mag ala telenovela tayo, #BIG4AUAngPagkikita, ganern.

Isang araw, Sehun met with his best friend Johnny sa isang cafe. He didn’t get to see them right after the rivalry game last Sunday. Ateneo won over La Salle by a point and as the team captain, of course, Johnny was somewhere between sobrang frustrated and devastated. He needed some comforting. Sehun promised him any drinks plus any dessert for more endorphins.  
  
“Hey,” bati ni Sehun pagdating niya sa table ni Johnny. He was at the corner, playing some mobile game Sehun didn’t know. Not that he cared. “What’s up?”  
  
“Sad,” Johnny said. He made a pout, yung exaggerated na pout. Di alam ni Sehun if magki-cringe ba siya sa inis, o tatawa kasi mukhang crumpled newspaper yung mukha ni Johnny.  
  
“You’ve gotten over it na, uwi na ako,” biglang sabi ni Sehun.  
  
Johnny grabbed his arm and pulled him down so he sat on the free couch. “Joke lang! Dali, I want java chip frappe saka isang cinnamon roll.”  
  
“You don’t seem like you still need happy food, pinapagastos mo lang ako,” ani Sehun, pero kinukuha na niya wallet niya sa bag niya.  
  
“Dali na. Isipin mo nalang ide-date mo ako.” Halos maduwal si Sehun sa sinabi ni Johnny.  
  
“Excuse me? I’d never date you,” agad na sagot ni Sehun. Seriously though, he really wouldn’t. Magkababata si Johnny and Sehun although Sehun’s a year older. Never talaga nilang nakitang magiging sila in the future, whether near or far, and it’s a fate, if not fact, they accepted na a long time ago.  
  
“Bakit, have you ever dated anyone ba?”  
  
Natigilan si Sehun. “Pota tangina mo a.”  
  
Tinawanan lang siya ni Johnny. “Dali, bili ka na! Kanina pa ‘ko rito.”  
  
Soon, Sehun came back with their orders and wala nang tanong-tanong, dumeretso na si Johnny sa pag-rant about the game. Things about how those three Ateneo players kept on blocking him on the last minute which could have given them an overtime, or how their ace player Park Chanyeol was just too aggressive and Johnny just really hated him. Well, at least Chanyeol as a team captain and basketball player, not him as a person. They still agree na Chanyeol’s gwapo, not that they had the hots for him. Nope.  
  
“So much for inter-university unity,” Sehun muttered.  
  
“Dude, it’s Ateneo-La Salle rivalry,” Johnny reacted, stabbing his cinnamon roll with a fork. Sehun felt bad for the roll. “It’s more of inter-university  _enmity_.”  
  
Sehun chuckled. “Grabe ka!”  
  
“Honestly, let’s be real.” Johnny nodded his head and sipped on his frappe.  
  
“You got a new player though?” Sehun changed the topic. He didn’t want anyone to hear Johnny speak so frankly like this. Baka lumabas pa at umabot sa ibang school. “Saw him, si number 4?”  
  
“Ah, yes! Yoon Jeonghan,” Johnny said. “He’s good. Comm Arts.”  
  
“Yup, I saw. Tawag sa kaniya ni Baekhyun si Vaseline Hair Boy.” Sehun smiled and shook his head. Kung ano-anong binibigay na nickname ni Baekhyun sa mga taong di niya kilala. He remembered Baekhyun calling Johnny That Seo Kano Guy because Johnny spoke English.  
  
“Ganda ng buhok niya ‘no? He’s pretty popular.”  
  
“You mean he’s pretty  _and_  popular,” Sehun said.  
  
“Well of course, a promising player tapos he did well in the past games pa so it’s not surprising— _wait_.” Johnny paused, and then he stared at his best friend, slowly raising a brow. “So  _you think_  he’s pretty.”  
  
“Uh...it’s not like I don’t recognize who’s pretty and who’s not. Don’t act like I have the hots for him just because I said he’s pretty,” Sehun said. Di naman siya defensive kasi totoo naman, although at that point, the way the words rolled out of his mouth, he actually sounded  _super_  defensive. Johnny wasn’t even asking if he liked Jeonghan. And that was a wrong move because the way Johnny’s lips curled, obvious nang hindi na siya titigilan nito. “Ugh, Seo Youngho, whatever you’re thinking don’t even—”  
  
“You know what,” simula ni Johnny. “He told me he thinks you’re pretty and popular, too.”  
  
Sehun gave Johnny the look. “We’ve known each other for years and alam ko kung kelan ka gumagawa ng storya.”  
  
Johnny laughed. “But hey, Jeonghan’s pogi. And cute. And single.”  
  
“Vaseline Boys don’t match me. I use Pantene,” Sehun said with the matching taray effect, eye roll, and irap.  
  
“That was horribly corny.”  
  
“Not sorry that your low sense of humor doesn’t let you appreciate my art.”  
  
Habang nagpapatuloy ang kwentuhan at biruan nila, biglang natigilan si Johnny when the cafe’s door opened. Sehun looked and saw the person they were just talking about enter. Si Jeonghan. Johnny raised his hand and yelled, sobrang lakas napatingin lahat ng tao sa table nila.  
  
“UY LODI!”  
  
Si Jeonghan, na nagtitiklop ng payong niya para ilagay sa rack, napatingin din. And then he waved and yelled back, “UY ORBSKI!” He went straight to their table, extending his arm so Johnny could greet him with some complex handshake that lasted for probably five seconds. Just when Sehun thought tapos na yung handshake, both raised their arms and flexed sabay sigaw, “Werpa!”  
  
Sehun looked at them in complete confusion. And with a hundred percent judgment. Fuck, that was so gross.  
  
“Lodi? Werpa?” He asked, raising a brow.  
  
“Idol.”  
  
“I know...but, seriously?”  
  
“We that cool.” Binelatan lang siya ni Johnny. “Oy, Jeonghan, si Sehun nga pala. Best friend ko.”  
  
Sehun didn’t know how it happened but the way Jeonghan shifted at him came like a shampoo commercial, with the flowing hair at yung pagkurap ng mata. Suddenly, Sehun was starstruck,  
  
“Ah, hi po Kuya Sehun.” Halos matumba si Sehun sa bigla ring change of character. Kung ano kina-astig ni Jeonghan sa harap ni Johnny, siya namang ikina-di makabasag pinggan nito sa harap ni Sehun.  
  
Also,  _po_  at kuya.  
  
Tumawa ng malakas si Johnny. “Tangina kuya. Oo nga, mas matanda ka samin.  _Kuya Sehun_ ,” pangasar nito.  
  
“Sira ka talaga,” nagkunwaring sasapakin ni Sehun si Johnny. “Nice to meet you. You did well sa last game, congrats,” in-extend niya ang kamay niya for a shakehand and Jeonghan did the same. Wow, ang lambot ng kamay niya. Parang di nagba-basketball.  
  
“Thank you. Pero talo naman po kami.”  
  
“Pretty sure babawin tayo next game.”  
  
Johnny cleared his throat. “Sehun here thinks you’re pretty and popular.”  
  
Sabi na e, ito na nga. Johnny started it na.  
  
“I did not—”  
  
“You did.”  
  
Nag-chuckle lang si Jeonghan sabay lagay ng kamay at himas sa sarili niyang batok, nahihiya. “Grabe, me? Pretty? Popular? Parang di naman.”  
  
Kumulog ng malakas at nagulat silang lahat. Johnny shook his head. “See why lying is a sin?”  
  
“Pagpasensiyahan mo na si Johnny a, mahilig gumawa ng issue yan e.” Sehun had to redeem himself. He didn’t want to get exposed lalo na’t kakapakilala palang sa kanila. Hindi siya papayag na mapahiya siya.  
  
“Okay lang po,” sagot ni Jeonghan. Sehun still felt awkward sa mga  _po_  but he’ll get used to it. Or Jeonghan will eventually drop them soon. Hopefully. “Mas sikat po kayo sakin. Celebrity status po kayo e. Lagi kayo usap-usapan sa college.”  
  
“Ako? Probably dahil asshole ako.” Sehun chuckled. Pa-humble pero yung totoo alam naman niyang sikat siya sa school.  
  
“No po!” React agad ni Jeonghan. “Kasi ang bait niyo raw po sa juniors niyo. Tapos crush pa kayo ng mga kaklase ko.”  
  
“Ikaw di mo siya crush?” Biglang singit ni Johnny at sabay ang tingin ng dalawang kasama nito sa kaniya. Nakaramdam ng mabilis na gapang ng malamig na hangin si Sehun sa likod niya, although may halong biglang kiliti sa tiyan. Pakshet. What was that?  
  
“Umorder ka na ng food mo bago pa humaba yung pila,” Sehun told Jeonghan although obviously it was just to get rid of the awkward atmosphere before it could even sink on them. Tangina talaga nito ni Johnny.  
  
“Okay po,” sagot ni Jeonghan. Tumingin siya kay Johnny. “Orbski, pa-save ng seat.”  
  
“Sure, lodi.”  
  
Sehun gave Johnny again the judging look. Ganito na ba talaga sila? When Jeonghan left, Sehun punched Johnny on his arm.  
  
“Gago ka ba, anong pinagsasabi mo?” Pabulong na pagalit ni Sehun sa kaibigan niya.  
  
“Nothing. Just having fun.” A really cheeky smile started to form on Johnny’s face. Napa-buntong hininga si Sehun. Kinuha niya yung cinnamon roll ni Johnny sabay kain ng kalahati nito, na siya namang agad hinablot ni Johnny from Sehun’s mouth.  
  
“Pota? Akin yan!”  
  
“Too much sugar. Masyado ka nang hyper.”  
  
“Ibalik mo yan!”  
  
“Dura ko sa plate mo?”  
  
“Ugh! Kadiri ka talaga!”  
  
Habang nagkukulitan sila, napatingin si Jeonghan sa kanila at napangiti. Napatingin naman si Sehun sa kaniya as he caught him looking at them from his periphery. Sakto sa tingin niya ang pag-curve ng labi nito sa kanilang direction. Sehun thought it was a nice smile.  
  
Nope, he actually thought it was beautiful.  
  
_Patay na._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Intro palang po kaya wag masyado umasa! I know bitin. Pero may susunod pa.  
> 2\. Self-serving fic siya mostly kasi gusto ko lang gamitin yung lodi, werpa, saka orbski.  
> 3\. Don’t forget the hashtag #BIG4AUAngPagkikita. Char. Kadiri rin ng hashtag, kalerks.


	2. Malanding Umaga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabi nga ng matatanda, may tenga ang lupa, may pakpak ang balita. Yung pagkikita ni Sehun at Jeonghan, suddenly, it’s the talk of the town. Wala naman dapat ika-big deal talaga. Para kay Sehun, wala naman kasing malisya. Pero no one also said na di siya pwedeng lagyan. Cue in his best friends who were more than ready to set the path for Sehun’s road to landi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said before, this is a new Big 4 AU. Not the same universe as the original Big 4 AU kahit La Sallian si Sehun. More new characters, mostly from Seventeen. You can use the hashtag #Big4AUMalandingUmaga!

Isang araw, nagaabang si Sehun sa isang coffee shop. First time nila ulit magkikita ni Jongin after more than a week dahil may dalawang importanteng ganap sa buhay ng kaibigan niya. Una, hell week ni Jongin. He didn’t expect it to come early pero he had to focus. And he’s on scholarship. He needed to get good grades. Pangalawa, nag-break sila ng girlfriend niya. It wasn’t recent but getting over it was quite a struggle kaya he needed time for himself daw. Muni-muni. Mutual breakup naman. Pero yanno, masakit pa rin. Buti nalang marami siyang deadlines. Kahit di niya dapat ikatuwa, natuwa pa rin siya na may acads para maging distraction.  
  
Anyway, Sehun could hear the whole kwento later. Habang naghihintay, napaisip si Sehun. Buti pa si Jongin, kahit medyo in the dark phase of his love life, may love life. E siya, ito tunganga. Mag-isa. Sariling sikap. Buti nga pantay pa rin arm muscles niya.  
  
“Huy, sino iniisip mo?” Napatingin si Sehun sa tabi niya. Dumating na si Jongin, may hawak nang kape. Di lang man niya namalayan na naka-order na rin pala kaibigan niya.  
  
“Ikaw. Sweet ko ‘no? Can’t stop thinking about you,” biro ni Sehun sabay flutter ng mata.  
  
Jongin shivered habang umuupo. “Maghanap ka na nga ng jowa, kadiri ka.”  
  
Sehun could only laugh—because of Jongin’s reaction and because, yes, feeling nga niya he needs a jowa. “What’s up? How’s life?”  
  
“Mas may kulay pa yung Americano kesa sa life ko,” Jongin muttered. “I think I need another week off.”  
  
“Kay ano nanaman ba ‘yan?” Sehun twirled the straw of his frappe.  
  
“Hindi na. Naka-get over na ako. Acads na ‘to, tsong.”  
  
Sehun raised a brow.  
  
“Oo nga! Promise. Tignan mo, di na siya wallpaper ko!” Agad nilabas ni Jongin phone niya at pinakita kay Sehun wallpaper niya. Photo na ng aso niya. Well, at least may progress. Sehun wanted to ask more, tipong pangasar pa pero he didn’t want to push it too far. Mamaya sensitive pa pala talaga si Jongin, tinatago lang niya. So he just nodded.  
  
“Hay nako,” ani Jongin nang bigla silang matahimik. “Boring pa buhay ko. Ikaw magkwento. Balita ko may pinakilala si Johnny sa’yo?”  
  
Again, napataas ng parehong kilay this time si Sehun. “Wow, tangina. Bilis ng balita a.”  
  
Kumindat si Jongin and then clucked his tongue. “Ako pa. Kahit di tayo nagkikita di nawawala radar ko. So, I heard he’s quite known but I’d rather hear it from you directly. What’s the name?”  
  
Sehun sighed. “Una sa lahat, bago mo ako ngitian ng ganyan—tumigil ka nga,” hinampas niya si Jongin kasi kanina pa siya nginingitian ng malisyoso. “Walang something. Walang ano.”  
  
“Drop the name first,” Jongin insisted.  
  
Sehun sighed again. “Fine. Yoon Jeonghan, yung [#4](https://www.livejournal.com/rsearch/?tags=%234).”  
  
Jongin didn’t say anything. He just smiled cheekily.  
  
“Tumigil ka nga! Wala ngang ano!” Napapikit nalang si Sehun habang nagi-stomp ng isang paa. “Di nga kami nag-exchange ng numbers. Wag kang umasa.”  
  
“Bagal mo. Kaya ka di nagkaka-jowa,” ani Jongin. “Pero  _I heard_  you find him pretty  _raw_.”  
  
Binaba ni Sehun yung frappe niya sabay titig kay Jongin. “So si Johnny nagkwento sayo ano?”  
  
Jongin shrugged.  
  
“Sira ulo talaga ‘yun.”  
  
“See, mas interesting buhay mo.”  
  
“I thought we’re here to talk about  _you_.”  
  
“Well, you got better stories so we’re talking about  _you_.”  
  
Umiling-iling si Sehun. Grabe, ano ba ‘to? Nagkakilala lang sila ni Jeonghan and then suddenly big deal na ‘to sa mga kaibigan niya? Hindi naman siya hayok na magka-jowa na. Well, he’d be happy to find one pero ngayon, he’s not really actively searching. But then, naalala niya, never pa nga pala talaga siya nagkaka-boyfriend (or girlfriend). He nodded in his head at naisip-isip niya na baka nga kaya big deal sa mga kaibigan niya. Iniisip nila na si Jeonghan na ang first. But then...he did find Jeonghan cute, and his smile pretty, and his hands soft, and…  
  
“Dude.” Jongin muttered, pulling Sehun out of his reverie.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Nagba-blush ka.”  
  
Napa-luwa ng straw si Sehun sa hinihigop, then lunok, then tinapik-tapik niya yung mukha niya. “What the fuck? Seryoso?”  
  
Kinabahan bigla si Sehun at di niya alam bakit. He was just thinking about his first meeting with Jeonghan. Why did his face have to react like this? Why did his body betray him? Wait lang, pwede dahan-dahan lang, di naman siya ganito ka-atat, okay?  
  
“Nice. So sino yan? Sabihin mo.” Firm na tanong ni Jongin. Nako, di na siya tatantanan nito.  
  
“Wala!”  
  
“Sabihin mo na.”  
  
“Wala nga!”  
  
“Okay. Fine. Sabihin ko kay Johnny na Jeonghan makes you blush.”  
  
Halos mapatayo si Sehun nang hampasin niya uli si Jongin. “Tangina nito! Magsama nga kayong dalawa!”  
  
“Pero tsong,” Jongin paused and sipped from his coffee. “Johnny gave me tickets sa game this Wednesday. Sama ka? I know umaga lang pasok mo niyan,” Jongin said. Sehun could feel that there’s something shady sa invitation na ‘to lalo na’t galing pa kay Johnny yung tickets because  _Johnny doesn’t normally give tickets away_. Pero a part of him wanted to say yes. He’s hesitating. He shouldn’t give in otherwise mahihila lang siya sa kalokohan ng best friend niya. Nandiyan na yung pagpipigil niya. He could say  _no_ ; it’s so close, nasa dulo na ng dila niya.  
  
“Okay lang. What time ‘yan?”  
  
Nice. So much for hesitating, Oh Sehun.  
  
  
  
  
It was the La Salle-FEU game, one of the most anticipated after ng rambulan nila sa isang game before the UAAP season began. Not that they haven’t faced off yet but still. Besides, the memory of the loss from Ateneo was still fresh so sorry nalang ang FEU, sila ang mapagbubuntunan ng unang wave ng pagbawi.  
  
La Salle just did what was expected. Well, so far so good but it didn’t look easy. La Salle kept the lead for all quarters so far, habang humahabol yung FEU. But the team’s resolve did not fade. It even grew stronger. With Sehun and Jongin screaming their lungs out to cheer for their team and for their friend, Johnny.  
  
Habang nasa third quarter, nung biglang sunod-sunod na si Jeonghan na yung nakaka-score, siyempre sumisigaw sila pero si Jongin, panay ang siko kay Sehun.  
  
“Di mo ba ichi-cheer? Kanina pa nagpapakitang gilas o, pansinin mo naman daw,” bulong ni Jongin habang nilalaro yung cheering sticks niya. Inirapan lang siya ni Sehun.  
  
“Sige na,” siniko ulit siya ni Jongin. “Dali na, sagot ko coffee mo later. Isang cheer lang.”  
  
Napabuntong hininga si Sehun. He would say no, pero di siya tumatanggi sa grasya. Libreng coffee. Why not? In the first place, wala namang malisya diba? He’s La Sallian. He should cheer for every member of his school’s team. And sa lakas ng sigawan ng crowd, what is the probability of him getting noticed by Jeonghan? Close to zero. So he inhaled, counted one to three, and yelled.  
  
“WOHOO! JEONGHAN PAPS! GALING MO! LABYUPO!”  
  
Great. Perfect. Just when the crowd and the drums went silent.  
  
And Jeonghan was right in front of them, looking at Sehun, giving him a thumbs up with a shy smile. Of course, Johnny was looking at them, too,  _grinning_.  
  
Jongin gasped, and he suddenly bursted out laughing. It was so hard he was turning red “Tangina, nice.”  
  
But instead of sitting down and burying his face in his hands like he normally would, he raised an arm and gave back Jeonghan a thumbs up. Bakit ba? Wala namang malisya diba?  
  
Except that he felt warm in the chest, paakyat sa kaniyang leeg hanggang sa sure na siyang namumula na siya sa mukha. Di siya exactly sure what was it but Jeonghan’s smile slow mo-ed in his head. Suddenly, ang bilis ng tibok ng puso niya, and his hands began to become clammy. Pakshet. What the hell’s happening to him?  
  
He tried to ignore yung malisyosong ngiti ni Jongin as he nodded. He continued to cheer, although a chill would creep down his back every time he was reminded of what happened to him. Wala na. Nahiya na siya bigla sa ginawa niya. Tangina. Bakit ganun yung reaction niya?  
  
Habang tumatagal, nadadala na sila sa euphoria ng laro. Unti-unti niyang nakakalimutan yung ginawa niya. Well, more of like he was setting the embarrassment aside so he could deal with it later.  
  
Dumating ang fourth quarter. Humahabol yung Tamaraws, pero bongga ang defense ng Archers. Di rin nagtagal at tumunog ang buzzer. Tapos na ang game. 75-73, panalo La Salle.  
  
Nag-stay muna sina Jongin at Sehun sa pwesto nila habang hinihintay umonti ang tao palabas ng Coliseum. In the middle of their silence, biglang nag-ring ang phone ni Jongin. Si Johnny, tumatawag sa kaniya. Nang sagutin niya, puro “Ah, okay,” “Sige,” at “Sure,” yung sinabi ni Jongin bago niya binaba.  
  
“Ano raw yun?” Usisa ni Sehun.  
  
“Meet daw natin sila later. Celebration daw, sama tayo,” sabi ni Jongin. Tumango-tango si Sehun. Inuman ‘to, sigurado. Pero okay lang naman. It’s their first victory since the Sunday heartbreak. Besides, his best friend deserved some fun after tonight. Nanalo sila, and celebrating it with his team and closest friends would be a nice reward.  
  
But then Sehun remembered what he screamed earlier and suddenly, he wanted to say no. Like uwi na siya. Ganun.  
  
“Kasama si Jeonghan?”  
  
“Malamang,” sagot ni Jongin, then bigla siyang natawa. “Gago ka kasi e. Bakit may  _aylabyu_?”  
  
“Wala lang. Pakshet kasi bakit biglang nawala yung drums?” Napakunot ng noo si Sehun habang pumapadyak sa inis. He buried his face in his palms.  
  
“Di ka pwedeng hindi sumama a, si Johnny nagimbita satin,” remind ni Jongin.  
  
Isang mahabang buntong hininga nalang ang nagawa ni Sehun. Wala naman talaga siya choice. Bahala na.  
  
  
  
  
Jongin drove them to Makati and Sehun was confused. On the way to “somewhere in Salcedo,” Jongin would not tell him kung saan sila exactly pupunta at magdi-dinner party. Sinusundan lang nila yung sasakyan ni Johnny na nasa harap nila.  
  
“Seryoso, saan ba talaga?” Inis nang tanong ni Sehun. “As if naman makakatakas pa ako. Hello?”  
  
Jongin chuckled. “Basta. Sa Salcedo. Malapit na tayo. Chill ka lang.”  
  
“Strip club ba ‘to?”  
  
Tumawa lang lalo si Jongin. “Ibang kainan ba bet mo?”  
  
“Sira ulo.” Sumuko na rin si Sehun at di na nangulit. Eventually malalaman din naman niya.  
  
Dumating sila sa isang establishment in the middle of Salcedo, just as Jongin had said. Naka-park na sa unahan yung kotse ni Johnny at naka-abang sa may pintuan ng establishment. Jongin parked right behind Johnny’s car. When Sehun saw that the restaurant next to where Johnny and his team stood was closed, he thought it was weird. He looked around, baka kasi may iba pang kainan na bukas sa tabi pero wala naman na. He checked his watch; it’s 10:48 PM. Made sense na sarado na nga, pero of all places na kakainan, bakit sa lugar na obviously walang bukas?  
  
“Dito na ba talaga tayo?” Sehun asked Jongin. Di na niya napigilang magtanong.  
  
Jongin nodded as they walked towards the others. “Ayun sila o,” he pointed at Johnny, who was waving at them, and the rest of his teammates—including Jeonghan.  
  
“I mean, saan tayo kakain dito? Sarado naman lahat.” Jongin didn’t answer dahil kasama na nila sina Johnny. Tumingin-tingin si Sehun para alamin kung sino-sino sila tonight. Aside from him and Jongin, may iba ring di part ng varsity. Ten was there of course. It shouldn’t be a surprise, especially when he’s dating the team captain. Then there’s another named Seungkwan. He’s familiar naman. Sehun thought naging classmate na niya si Seungkwan sa isang subject, he just couldn’t remember. Jongin also knew them, which made it less awkward.  
  
Then there’s the team. Di naman lahat kasama which was actually better kasi Sehun (and even Jongin) didn’t want to feel too out of place. There’s [#18](https://www.livejournal.com/rsearch/?tags=%2318) Hansol, although he preferred to be called Vernon (parang si Johnny), then there’s [#17](https://www.livejournal.com/rsearch/?tags=%2317) Wonwoo, and [#8](https://www.livejournal.com/rsearch/?tags=%238) Seungcheol. Sehun’s met all of them, although he wouldn’t consider them as friends yet. More of acquaintances siguro.  
  
“Your first time here, right?” Johnny asked Sehun. He nodded, still unsure where the “here” meant. He kept his eyes on Johnny though, trying his best not to look at Jeonghan. He still had not gotten over his yell yet. Jeonghan might even be thinking about it—he could only assume. Tuwing naaalala ni Sehun yung reaction niya, lalo lang siyang nahihiya. It wasn’t helping that Jeonghan was looking at him, too.  
  
“Frat initiation ba ‘to?” Sehun asked jokingly so he could stop thinking about Jeonghan looking at him, Jeonghan smiling, and Jeonghan giving him butterflies that were totally uncalled for. He still firmly believed this shouldn’t be happening to him.  
  
Johnny chuckled. “Grabe ka. Restaurant ni Jeonghan. Well, ng family ni Jeonghan. Exclusively for us tonight.”  
  
Napa-tango tango nalang si Sehun. Cool, may sariling restaurant si Jeonghan. But then he shouldn’t be surprised.  
  
First of all, he’s in La Salle.  
  
“Isn’t really the best po but hope you’ll feel comfortable,” Jeonghan told him bago niya buksan yung pinto. This was the first time today that he heard him speak. And the  _po_  was still there.  
  
They all got in. It was completely dark for a few before switches flicked. The sudden burst of light was a bit blinding but a second or two later, when their eyes had finally adjusted to the light, Sehun couldn’t help but be a bit open-mouthed..  
  
If Sehun were to be honest, there was no reason for Jeonghan to be too humble about the place— _his place_. It was a neat, industrial cafe restaurant. The colors were pretty much neutral, black, white, grey, and a few brownish-crimson because of the bricks on the bar but the lighting was perfect. It was spacious, and just like Jeonghan wished, it looked comfortable. When he remembered it would be empty and only for them, he thought this was going to be a great night.  
  
“This is so nice,” Sehun commented, muttering it to himself.  
  
“Thank you po,” Jeonghan said, smiling. Medyo surprised si kuya mo dahil narinig pala siya.  
  
Biglang umingay sa other side, tunog ng mga hinihilang upuan and the screeches of their feet against the floor.  
  
“Dito tayo!” Johnny exclaimed, asking Sehun and Jongin to join them.  
  
When they were all finally gathered, Johnny, Wonwoo, and Jeonghan left para daw i-prepare yung food and inumin. So there was chitchat among those na naiwan. Awkward kumustahan at first, then slowly it became a comfortable kwentuhan about the game, acads, profs, and org stuff. Maya-maya pa, kinakalabit na siya ni Jongin sa ilalim ng table. When he looked down, he saw Jongin’s phone with something written on it.  
  
_Isn’t Seungkwan the guy na sabi ni Johnny ka-MU ni Vernon?_.  
  
Sehun looked at Jongin and gave him the  _Really?_  look. Pa-sikreto siyang tumingin kay Seungkwan and then kay Vernon. They didn’t look like there was something going on between them but who knows.  
  
Kinalabit ulit siya ni Jongin at pinakita yung phone, this time isang picture. When he looked at it, di niya ma-figure out agad what he was trying to look at. A few seconds passed before he realized it’s a shot of under the table, and there was Vernon’s hand holding Seungkwan’s. A bit blurry and dark pero maaaninag.  
  
Sehun nodded. Wow, surrounded by lovebirds.  
  
It wasn’t too long before the three came back. Buhat ni Johnny at Jeonghan ang dalawang case ng San Mig, halo-halong flavored at light, habang si Wonwoo may isang tray ng fries, mayo, cheese, and bowls of chips. Bumalik pa si Johnny para kumuha pa ng isa pang case. Wow, so slight walwalan ata ang balak nila ngayon. Sana di nila nakakalimutan na weekday pa rin bukas. Not that Sehun worried kasi hapon pa naman pasok niya. Plus at least walang Red Horse. Wala naman sigurong malalasing sa kanila.  
  
  
  
  
Things pretty much escalated quickly. Matapos ang isa’t kalahating case, nagsimula nang magparamdam ang tama. May mga bagay nang hindi dapat masabi na nasabi (tulad ng confession ni Seungcheol na may nililigawan siyang taga-Ateneo and yung konting kirot pa ni Jongin after ng breakup niya with his girlfriend) at mga bagay na hindi rin sinasadyang magawa pero nagawa (tulad nang pumayag si Vernon na halikan si Seungkwan, which Jongin thought wasn’t surprising). When Johnny started peppering Ten’s cheeks with kisses, hindi na rin nagulat si Sehun—or anyone for that matter. The rest on the other hand were just laughing, and teasing. Sehun was thankful no one’s picked on him yet for cheering for Jeonghan during the game earlier.  
  
“Guys,” simula ni Johnny habang nilalatag ni Wonwoo ang natitirang beer from the second case. “FKM tayo. Fuck-Kill-Marry.”  
  
“No holds barred, ah?” Suggest ni Seungcheol. Medyo kinabahan si Sehun.  
  
“Game!” Agree naman ni Jongin, and then he sneakily grinned at Sehun. Sehun gave him the  _What the fuck_ look. Sumangayon lahat sa suggestion so wala na ring nagawa si Sehun. Tangina, kung nakaligtas man siya sa tanungan kanina, mukhang ngayon madadali na siya.  
  
They decided na mag-spin the bottle tapos kung kanino matapat, siya ang tatanungin. Since si Johnny na ang nagpasimuno, siya na ang unang nagpaikot. Ang unang biktima: si Vernon.  
  
Agad inangat ni Seungcheol ang kamay niya. “Wait, satin-satin lang ba o pwedeng ibang tao?”  
  
“Kahit sino go lang,” Johnny slurred.  
  
“Alright,” ani Seungcheol. He hummed for a while. “Vernon, fuck-kill-marry: Seungkwan, Jeonghan, Johnny.”  
  
There was a mix of collective groaning and laughter dahil lahat ng choices kasama nila. Of course may konting pa-kilig pa kasi Seungkwan’s in it.  
  
“Sorry bro,” he looked at Jeonghan, who just nodded, already knowing what it meant. “Kill Jeonghan.”  
  
As expected of fuck-kill-marry’s, sa kada sagot may reaction ang lahat. Siyempre nagsigawan, and konting tuksuan. “Yun o, iniwan talaga si Seungkwan,” “Yari ka Ten, hide Johnny na,” “Wala ka pala Jeonghan.”  
  
“No offense Ten,” tuloy ni Vernon. “Pero if I were to choose between Jeonghan and Johnny, I’d rather fuck Johnny.”  
  
Everyone erupted to whistles and teasing dahil of course the remaining choice, Seungkwan, got the marry. Ten just nodded and laughed, habang kunwaring disgusted si Johnny.  
  
Seungkwan, smiling, punched Vernon lightly, although he was starting to get red in the face. “Kadiri ka.”  
  
“Ayaw mo? Di na kita pakasalan.”  
  
“Ang haharot!” Jeonghan exclaimed, and everyone laughed again. Johnny slid the bottle towards Vernon. It’s his turn.  
  
He spun the bottle and it pointed at Sehun. Jongin mouthed  _finally_ , and Sehun could only sigh in resignation. Why did it have to be him so early in the game? But he’s fair and for the sake of fun, sige go na. Siya na.  
  
“Ah, I don’t know who to pick,” Vernon confessed. Immediately, Jongin and Johnny raised their hands sabay, but Jongin gave way to Johnny na. They seemed to be thinking of the same thing and Sehun scratched his head. Patay na.  
  
“Guys wait lang—”  
  
“Jeonghan, Jongin, Wonwoo.”  
  
Di lang man siya pinatapos! And as he expected, andun si Jeonghan sa choices. He wasn’t sure why they were clapping and yelling—even Jeonghan, although parang pumapalakpak lang siya because everyone did. Sehun shook his head and bit his lip.  
  
“Marry Jongin,”  
  
“Tangina!” Jongin choked on the beer he was drinking. Halos mabuga pa niya yung iniinom niya kaya napatayo si Johnny na nasa harap niya. Nagtawanan ang lahat.  
  
“Fuck Wonwoo. Kill Jeonghan.”  
  
_Tangina_. This time it was him cursing. Hindi niya alam. Pero shet, di naman niya sadya to “kill” Jeonghan. Not that he would mind fucking him. Sehun mentally shook his head. Ano ba tong pinagiisip niya? Pwede bang wala nang kill? Pwede bang kill himself nalang? Tutal mas okay ata yun kesa sa kahihiyan niya sa mga pinagsasabi niya.  
  
Puro “ooh” at “hala” lang yung sinasabi ng mga kasama niya. What the hell is wrong with them? Lalo tuloy naging anxious si Sehun.  
  
“Grabe ‘to!” Hinampas siya ni Johnny. From his side, he could see Jeonghan laughing although awkwardly. Ano ba yan, naka-dalawang kill Jeonghan tonight.  
  
“Bakit fuck Wonwoo?” Tanong ni Seungcheol, curious.  
  
Sehun shrugged. “Mukhang fuckable siya. Yun lang.” He sighed. This must be the alcohol speaking. Wonwoo laughed so hard and then flipped his hair. Aba natuwa pa.  
  
“So sinasabi mo bang hindi fuckable si Jeonghan?”  
  
“No! No that’s not what I’m saying,” Sehun raised his voice. Pota, not the best time to be defensive bro.  
  
Jeonghan intervened na. “Wow guys, big deal? Laro lang naman chill lang.”  
  
“Well, if I were to pick I’d also fuck myself and kill Jeonghan.” Nagsitawanan ang lahat sa sinabi ni Wonwoo. Bago pa batuhin ulit ng tanong si Sehun, kinuha na niya yung bote at pinaikot.  
  
Napalakas siya ng ikot so medyo matagal bago tumigil. Tumapat kay Jeonghan. Aba tadhana nga naman, sarap kutusan.  
  
Nakabuka na ang bibig ni Sehun para magsabi kung sino pero inunahan agad siya ni Johnny. “Sehun, Jongin, Wonwoo.”  
  
“Ako magtatanong e!”  
  
Binelatan lang siya ni Johnny habang nagsipalakpakan at hiyawan yung iba.  
  
Tumahimik saglit si Jeonghan, nagiisip. “Fuck Jongin.”  
  
Jongin chuckled.  
  
“Kill Wonwoo, because he said he’d kill me.”  
  
Before Jeonghan could even say  _Marry Kuya Sehun_  (which he eventually said though), nagsigawan na agad literally lahat. Si Johnny, hinahampas ang mesa. Si Jongin, inaalog si Sehun. Si Wonwoo at Seungcheol naga-apir. Si Ten at Seungkwan, pumapalakpak. Tangina si Sehun lang yung walang reaction.  
  
Pinapa-guilty ba siya ni Jeonghan? Aba. Kasi kung oo...oo, nagi-guilty na siya. Matapos niyang mag- _aylabyu_ sa Coliseum, papatayin lang pala niya sa fuck-kill-marry. Aba Sehun, bastos ka rin nga naman ano? Isa kang paasa.  
  
“Baka naman kaya kill Jeonghan si Sehun kanina kasi…” Jongin paused, looked at Sehun, and continued. “Kasi papatayin niya sa pagmamahal.”  
  
“BOOM!” Johnny exclaimed at lalong lumakas ang hiyawan ng lahat.  
  
Tinungga na ni Sehun ang natitirang laman ng bote niya. Hindi na siya sure kung naiinitan ba siya dahil sa iniinom nila, o betrayal nanaman to ng katawan niya sa halong hiya at panunukso. He wouldn’t say he’s 100 per cent enjoying it dahil nao-awkward-an siya pero he couldn’t deny din na there’s this really tiny hard to ignore kilig at the pit of his stomach.  
  
“Ewan ko sa inyo! Tama na, next na!” Kinuha ni Jeonghan yung bote at pinaikot. Nagpatuloy ang laro. Pero napansin ni Sehun na simula nung sumagot si Jeonghan, never na siyang tumingin kay Sehun ulit. Hala ka Sehun, lagot ka.  
  
  
  
  
After a few minutes, nag-move on na sa kung ano-ano pang laro like “Never Have I Ever,” “Truth or Truth,” and then random na kwentuhan. It wasn’t too long before napagod ang lahat at natahimik na. Good thing Jeonghan’s resto had an upper floor na parang semi mini private lounge. They could stay there habang nagpapahupa ng tama at makapag-drive ng maayos pauwi. Seungkwan was already napping on Vernon’s lap habang si Jongin at Ten, tulog na sa mga couch. The rest were just having a small chit-chat, except for Sehun who was at the balcony, nagpapahangin.  
  
Wala naman siyang iniisip talaga. Gusto lang niya ng fresh air. Saka ayaw na niyang umupo, kanina pa sila nakaupo, manhid na pwet niya. He could relax this way.  
  
“Hi.”  
  
Na-interrupt ang kaniyang katahimikan ten minutes into his tambay. Pagkatingin niya sa gilid niya, si Jeonghan. Biglang kinabahan at na-tense si Sehun. Then he realized he shouldn’t be.  
  
“Hello,” sagot ni Sehun.  
  
“Okay ka lang po ba diyan?”  
  
Tumango-tango si Sehun. Then he saw what Jeonghan was holding. A saucer and a cup of coffee na may latte art. Hindi naman siya assuming so he thought it’s for Jeonghan himself until…  
  
“Ginawa ko po kayo coffee.”  
  
Sehun raised his brows and pointed at himself. “Me?”  
  
“Yes po.”  
  
He took the saucer. “Uh, you did this? The art?”  
  
“Yes po.”  
  
“Cool. Thanks I guess.”  
  
“No problem. I remembered it’s your first time so I thought you should at least get a better impression of our cafe.”  
  
Sehun nodded. Better impression of the cafe? Or better impression of Jeonghan? He smelled the coffee. Mabango. And ang cool ng latte art. Pusa. Cute. Parang si Jeonghan. At hot din. Yung kape. Pero pwedeng si Jeonghan din. Wait, joke lang.  
  
_Not really._  
  
“By the way, you can drop the  _po_  and  _kuya_. It’s fine. Johnny calls me just Sehun. Magkasing-edad lang naman kayo, right?”  
  
Halata sa mukha ni Jeonghan na hesitant siya pero pumayag rin siya. “Uh...okay, uhm. Sehun?”  
  
Sehun chuckled. “Ayan. Better.” He wasn’t sure if it was the lighting or Jeonghan flushed a bit.  
  
“Sorry pala sa kanina, gulo nila,” Jeonghan said.  
  
“It’s okay. No need to be sorry.”  
  
Jeonghan just nodded. Then they were silent.  
  
“Sorry for killing you earlier.”  
  
Sehun didn’t know what to say na! Also he thought na naging awkward talaga sila ng sobra dahil Jeonghan chose to marry him kahit he got  _killed_  twice—yung isa galing pa kay Sehun mismo.  
  
Natameme si Jeonghan for a second tapos bigla siyang tumawa. “Hala ka, wala po yun—I mean, wala yun. Okay lang.”  
  
“Wala lang. Sila kasi e, hirap pumili.”  
  
“Sanay na ako. Tuwing may ganyan sa team ako lagi pinapatay nila.”  
  
“Wow that’s rude. Masabihan nga yang si Johnny.”  
  
“But you killed me, too.” May tonong nangaasar na sinabi ni Jeonghan.  
  
“That’s why I was apologizing!”  
  
Jeonghan laughed. “Well, how about...we go out?”  
  
Sehun’s eyes widened. “Ha?”  
  
“We go out. Like you know, friendly date. Just to get to know each other.”  
  
Pakshet. Iba rin ‘to si Jeonghan. One moment nahihiya-hiya pa siyang lumapit kay Sehun with a cup of coffee para raw sa “better impression” tapos biglang ngayon magaaya na ng date? Tanginang swabe rin e. Kumbaga, from Maria Clara to Maria Ozawa real quick.  
  
Damn, werpa.  
  
Habang di pa sumasagot si Sehun, Jeonghan continued. “Para naman next time, you won’t kill me na.”  
  
Ito talaga halos mabuga na ni Sehun yung iniinom niyang kape. Pota, sige lang ipagdiinan pang “Kill Jeonghan” yung pinili niya. At saka anong next time? So sa susunod, either ifa-fuck na niya si Jeonghan or ime-marry? Hinuhuli si Sehun. Pero deep inside, gusto rin naman niya magpahuli.  
  
Also, he thought better choice yung marry next time. Para unlimited fuck. Char.  
  
“Hmm,” Sehun hummed. “I don’t mind. Okay lang.”  
  
Ngumiti si Jeonghan. Not the usual shy smile na he usually gives Sehun. Ngiti ng tagumpay, ganern. “Sure a? Walang bawian.”  
  
Sehun nodded. Aba kung lalandiin lang din naman siya, why not landi back. Wala na talagang bawian.  
  
“Alright!” Jeonghan handed Sehun his calling card. Yes, shala. At prepared. May calling card. “Here’s my number.”  
  
“Okay. Missed call nalang kita,” Sehun said. Then Jeonghan left. He’ll just clean up lang daw sa baba and he’ll nap. Sehun was left alone in the balcony again.  
  
It wasn’t sinking in. He’s going on a date with Jeonghan. This was far from how he imagined this day would turn out. It was surprising, but not the bad kind of surprise. In fact, he thought it was good. Napangiti siya sa sarili habang nakatitig sa half-empty cup of coffee he’s holding. He looked at the time. 3:23 AM.  
  
“Nice. Malanding umaga, self.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Napagod po ako sa katorpehan at kalandian. Excited na rin po ako to reveal the other pairs.  
> 2\. Next chapter, baka ibang people na po ang makita niyo *ehem*UP-UST*ehem*.  
> 3\. Don’t forget po the hashtag #BIG4AUMalandingUmaga! Also, salamat po kay @guojeu sa Seventeen briefing ko, at kay @kametoahiru for the malanding umaga sessions. Also 2.0, comments will be really appreciated, promise po.


	3. Manhid Ka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sa ranking ng favorite senpais ni Daniel, number one si Minseok tapos number two si Junmyeon. Estudyante goals niya ‘tong dalawa pero si number one medyo slightly goal niyang maging kaniya. Di niya lang alam, may taga-España din palang nagaabang sa kaniya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Big 4 AU means new people in the universe! Yes, it’s a Wanna One Big 4 AU po. Pagamit po ng hashtag #BIG4AUManhidKa. I really like reading people’s reactions! Sobrang nakakataba po ng puso. Soft po kasi ako. Char.

Isang araw, nasa tambayan si Daniel, may hawak na gunting at nag-gugupit ng mga idi-display nila for their week-long exhibit sa Palma Hall. Thirty minutes na siguro siyang tumutulong kasama yung mga seniors niyang busy naman sa pagso-sort ng mga ready to paste sa boards. It’s been a while since he saw his org this busy. And he’s glad na Junmyeon and Minseok were with them today. Madalas kasi kapag sila lang mga bata andito, medyo lost sila kung saan sila magsisimula. At least Junmyeon’s there to give instructions, Minseok naman on how exactly they’re supposed to work on their tasks. Ngayon, nakatoka si Daniel sa mga letters.  
  
“Kumusta?” Junmyeon asked Daniel habang nilalapag sa sahig ang isang illustration board. He picked up some of the letters na ginupit na ni Daniel at pinatong sa board.  
  
“Ayos naman kuya,” Daniel promptly answered. “Busy kayo masyado ah?”  
  
Tumango si Junmyeon. “Ang aga-aga dami agad papers. But it’s okay. Kinda expected it.”  
  
“Kaya mo yan, kuya. Ikaw pa,” ani Daniel.  
  
Junmyeon smiled. “Thanks. Wala rin naman ako choice.”  
  
Biglang dumating si Minseok and he patted Daniel on the back. Daniel tried his best to compose and he wished di siya pinagtataksilan ng mukha niya dahil it’s  _Kuya Minseok_ , best human being to ever exist. Kumbaga siya na yung pinaka-petmalu sa lahat ng petmalung lodi in UP. Siguro next na si Junmyeon. At the back of his head, Daniel wondered if he could be just as amazing as these two. Gwapo, matalino, hot. Ganon. Hay.  
  
“Ikaw, kumusta?” Junmyeon asked.  
  
“Ayos lang. Di pa naman toxic, although I feel like parating na siya,” Daniel said.  
  
Minseok chuckled. “Enjoyin mo na. Hell week is called  _hell_  week for a reason.”  
  
His conversation with Junmyeon was interrupted kasi may konting tanong si Minseok kay Junmyeon. Something about permits and all. Once done, Daniel attempted to carry on with it and asked Junmyeon something he was really curious about.  
  
“Kuya Junmyeon, diba taga-UST yung boyfriend mo?”  
  
“Yup,” Junmyeon nodded. “Why?”  
  
Daniel nodded, too. “Hindi ba mahirap magka-jowa na taga ibang school?”  
  
Tumigil saglit si Junmyeon sa ginagawa niya. He pursed his lips as if thinking and then shrugged. “Well, hindi naman? Siguro mahirap lang sa schedule kasi minsan magkaiba? Pero it depends naman on how you two manage. Understanding naman si Kyungsoo so wala naman kami talagang problema.”  
  
“Di naman siya nagtatampo kapag acads muna?” Daniel asked, although he actually said it ng pabiro. He knew Junmyeon was the GC type of kuya.  
  
Junmyeon chuckled. “Minsan oo. Pero di naman yung OA na tampo. Kunwari di lang natuloy date namin kasi may biglang assignment. No biggie.”  
  
Daniel could only nod in amazement. Grabe, relationship goals. If magkaka-boyfriend man siya in the near or far future, gusto niya maging kasing understanding siya ni Junmyeon.  
  
“Bakit mo naman natanong? May nililigawan ka bang taga-ibang school?” Junmyeon asked and suddenly Minseok looked at them with wide eyes. With two of his fave people in school looking at him curiously, nahiya bigla si Daniel.  
  
“Wala!” He wasn’t sure bakit napalakas ang boses niya. As far as he remembered, single siya. “Wala naman.”  
  
“Uuy, sino yan?” Joke ni Minseok, implying in his tone na nagsisinungaling si Daniel. Daniel gasped. He didn’t know how to be defensive bigla.  
  
“Na-curious lang ako!” Sabi ni Daniel. “Kuya Junmyeon, ma-issue!”  
  
Tinawanan siya ng dalawa. “Namumula ka kasi e,” comment ni Minseok, still smiling.  
  
“Grabe kayo. Na-curious lang ako tapos biglang may nililigawan na agad ako,” Daniel said, patting his cheeks as if it will help with his blush. “Saka kinikilig lang ako kina Kuya Jun--ah, fuck!”  
  
Biglang nagkamali ng galaw ng kamay si Daniel at nasugatan niya ang daliri niya. It didn’t look like it was a huge gash pero dumudugo. Nabitawan ni Daniel yung gunting sabay tingin sa daliri niya. Pinisil pisil pa niya ng onti as if checking kung masyado bang malalim or hindi. Agad namang tumigil sa pagdugo pero mahapdi pa rin.  
  
“Uy, okay ka lang?” Junmyeon asked, prompting a quick nod from Daniel.  
  
Agad pumunta si Minseok sa bag niya at humugot sa isa sa mga pockets nito ng Band-Aid. Walang pasabi, kinuha niya yung kamay ni Daniel at tinignan yung sugat. He hummed after a while. “Yep. Nothing serious. Hugasan mo muna then i-Band-Aid mo.”  
  
Daniel nodded again.  
  
“Para sa sugat yan a, di para sa puso,” Minseok added, and all of them laughed.  
  
“Thanks kuya.” Tumayo si Daniel at dumeretso sa washroom. As he walked away from the tambayan, hawak niya yung kamay niya, not exactly sa daliring may sugat but on where Minseok touched his palm.  
  
  
  
  
Kahit slightly injured si Daniel, nagawa naman niya trabaho niya. Six na ng gabi and in fairness, natapos sila ng maaga ngayon. It was good actually dahil kelangan niyang pumuntang Trinoma. He promised his best friend na they would meet tonight for dinner. They had not seen each other the past few weeks and being the clingiest friends, they decided to spend the last day of the week together.  
  
“Uwi ka na ba after?” Junmyeon asked as they packed their things up. Daniel shook his head.  
  
“Trinoma pa ako. May imi-meet pa ako.”  
  
Junmyeon gave him a grin. “So siya na ba yang  _taga-ibang school_?”  
  
Daniel laughed, although awkwardly. “Grabe sila o! Akala ko tapos na yan?”  
  
“You started it kaya,” Minseok butted in. Gusto sanang dumepensa ulit ni Daniel pero nagsalita ulit si Minseok. “Anyway, Trinoma rin ako. Sabay na ako sa’yo, okay lang?”  
  
If meron pang ikai-eager ang pag-tango ni Daniel, malamang kakalas na ulo niya sa leeg niya. Of course, okay na okay.  
  
This wasn’t the first time na nagkasabay umalis sina Daniel at Minseok lalo na’t orgmates sila. Pero every single time na nangyayari ‘to, Daniel couldn’t help but feel yung kilig churns sa kaniyang tiyan. He wasn’t sure if this was the reason why he had mastered the art of suppressing the feelings pero deep inside, ikinakatuwa talaga niya na may extra time siyang makasama ang kaniyang favorite senior.  
  
“Sino ba yung imi-meet mo nang magkalinawan na,” Minseok asked habang nasa jeep. “Ayan a, giving you the chance to explain.”  
  
Daniel laughed. “Best friend ko. Taga-UST siya. Nagdo-dorm pero taga-QC siya talaga. Wala na siyang pasok tomorrow so he wanted us to meet. Busy kasi siya nung mga nakaraang linggo.”  
  
“Oh,” Minseok nodded. “Well, diyan naman lagi nagsisimula. Sa  _best friend_.”  
  
“Kuya naman! Best friends lang talaga kami, grabe ka,” ani Daniel, nagpa-pout pa.  
  
“Ganyan ka ba sa kaniya? Nagpapa-cute?” Minseok asked. Suddenly, Daniel didn’t know what to say. Minseok thought he was cute. Si Kuya Minseok na medyo ine-HD-han niya. Slight.  
  
“Hindi ako nagpapa-cute.” Bulong ni Daniel. Pero imbis na tigilan, bigla siyang pinisil ni Minseok sa pisngi. Wala na. The kilig is overwhelming na. Iiyak na siya. Isa pa talaga hahalikan na ‘to ni Daniel.  
  
Joke lang. Na hindi.  
  
Buong trip sa jeep, natameme lang si Daniel. He wasn’t sure na yung Friday evening traffic was helpful dahil feeling niya lalo lang nao-obvious yung  _admiration_  niya kay Minseok. Well, yung totoo, malambing talaga si Minseok sa mga kaibigan niya. In fact, hindi lang naman si Daniel yung pinipisil niya pisngi. Kahit si Junmyeon nga, nalalamutak yung mukha. Pero siyempre, di mapigilan ni Daniel na i-enjoy masyado yung mga ganitong antics ng Kuya Minseok niya. Besides, he had the feeling na hanggang sa ganito lang naman talaga sila. Daniel the kouhai crushing on his favorite senpai. Sad story.  
  
Dumating sila sa Trinoma halos 7:30 na. At kanina pa rin nagva-vibrate ang phone ni Daniel. Sigurado siyang yung best friend niya ‘to. Texts and calls. Kaya naman pagpasok na pagpasok nila sa mall, agad tumawag si Daniel.  
  
“Huy. Grabe ka naman maka missed call!”  
  
Napatingin si Minseok sa kaniya at napangiti.  
  
“Oo. Malapit na. Papunta na.” And then binaba na ni Daniel yung phone. Sa ngiti ni Minseok, halatang nangaasar siya pero Daniel tried his best to ignore. Besides, Minseok makes the cutest smiles.  
  
“Samahan na kita, wala pa yung imi-meet ko e,” Minseok said. Syempre hindi tatanggi si Daniel. If pwede nga lang di na sila maghiwalay. Char.  
  
They went to Yellowcab. Andun na raw best friend niya kanina pa. Di pa siya umo-order at feeling daw niya papaalisin na siya kasi maraming gustong kumain, pero di niya pwede iwan table nila.  
  
“Huy Seongwoo,” bati ni Daniel pagdating na pagdating nila sa Yellowcab.  
  
Tumingala ang isang estudyante na naka-white polo at may red lining sa kwelyo. Di pa nagpalit ng uniform.  
  
“Grabe kanina pa ako rito! Bakit ang tagal!” Reklamo agad ni Seongwoo. Di niya agad napansin si Minseok na nakatayo sa likod ni Daniel. Nang makita niyang may stranger, napasara agad siya ng bibig. Tumingin siya kay Daniel, giving him the  _sino-yang-kasama-mo_  look.  
  
“Ah,” gumilid ng onti si Daniel para lumitaw si Minseok sa likod niya. “Kuya Minseok, si Seongwoo, best friend ko. Seongwoo, si Kuya Minseok, org mate ko.”  
  
“Hi, nice to meet you,” in-extend ni Minseok ang kaniyang braso and they shook hands. Although nakangiti si Seongwoo, hindi siya nagsalita. It was an awkward introduction to be honest, and Minseok thought it was his cue to leave na. Besides, his offer lang naman ay samahan si Daniel hanggang Yellowcab. “Una na ako,” he said. “I think parating na rin yung imi-meet ko.  _Enjoy_!”  
  
A part of Daniel felt sad na aalis na si senpai that he even missed the part na nangaasar actually si Minseok when he said “Enjoy!” Pero di ‘to pinahalata ni Daniel. When his fave kuya was finally nowhere in sight, Daniel took the seat across Seongwoo and sighed.  
  
“ _Org mate_  pala ha,” panimula ni Seongwoo and there was a really awkward mixture of heavy but teasing tone in his voice.  
  
“Isa ka pa,” sagot ni Daniel. He had enough pangaasar na. Ayaw na niya. “Org mate ko nga lang siya.”  
  
“Pero kung maka-sparkle yang mata mo, nako.”  
  
Natigilan si Daniel sa pagayos ng bag niya, this time it’s him giving Seongwoo the sharp look. If meron mang isang tao sa buhay niya na madaling makahalata sa mga inner recognized feelings niya, si Seongwoo yun. At ngayon, mukhang wala na naman siyang kawala.  
  
“He’s just a nice person, okay. Mabait saka matalino.”  
  
“Saka ano pa?” Seongwoo tapped his fingers on the table. “Sabihin mo na, wag ka na mahiya.”  
  
Daniel sighed. “Saka gwapo.”  
  
“So yun lang?”  
  
“Saka may abs si Kuya Minseok,” dagdag ni Daniel, this time grinning.  
  
Seongwoo couldn’t help it. Suddenly, nilapag niya ang phone niya sabay ng pag-roll ng eyes. Medyo malakas. Nagulat pa nga si Daniel, akala niya tatalbog tapos malalaglag sa sahig. “May abs rin kaya ako.”  
  
Lumapit si Daniel at pinoke ang pisngi ni Seongwoo. "Nagseselos ka?"  
  
"Hindi,” Seongwoo swatted Daniel’s hand. His abrupt answer was a clear indicator, and Daniel knew it. “Bakit ako magse-selos, boyfriend ba kita? Ha?"  
  
"So ayaw mo akong maging boyfriend?"  
  
Napabuka ng bibig si Seongwoo sabay ng mocking na tawa, yung tatlong  _ha_. “Ikaw, ibo-boyfriend ko? Please, sa gwapo kong ‘to?" Then he did a hair flip kahit wala naman siyang mafi-flip na hair dahil naka-wax yung buhok niya.  
  
Daniel could only laugh. Lagi naman silang ganito. Nagaasaran, possessive, clingy. Di na rin actually nagugulat si Daniel na napagkakamalan silang mag-jowa. Kapag magkasama sila, di na talaga sila mapaghiwalay. And they knew each other better than anyone else. A lot of people even ask them if di pa ba sila nagkaka-develop-an. Every time it happens, magkukunwaring nasusuka si Seongwoo habang si Daniel naman tatawa lang.  
  
Si Daniel na ang um-order ng pagkain nila in the hopes na the solo time would let Seongwoo’s angry possessive feels subside. Apparently, even after the five minutes na pinila ni Daniel sa counter ay hindi pa pala nakaka-get over si Seongwoo. May pahabol pa siyang tanong pagkabalik na pagkabalik niya sa table.  
  
"Sure kang hindi kayo nung Kuya Minseok na yun?"  
  
Isang malakas at mahabang buntong hininga. "Seongwoo, ano ba? Hindi nga."  
  
"Pero halatang crush mo siya."  
  
"Bakit, bawal ba ako magka-crush?"  
  
"E pano kung may boyfriend na pala siya?"  
  
Natigilan bigla si Daniel. Di pa niya naisip actually yun. Walang nababanggit si Minseok. Kahit si Junmyeon na best friend niya, wala ring nababanggit. So in-assume ni Daniel na single si Minseok. But then, baka secretive nga lang din si kuya at baka may boyfriend nga talaga. A part of Daniel felt broken but then wala naman siyang karapatang maramdaman yun diba? He feigned his inner pain with a shrug. "Edi may boyfriend."  
  
"Bakit nakasimangot ka na?"  
  
Di nanaman alam ni Daniel anong isasagot niya so binalikan nalang niya si Seongwoo ng tanong din. "E bakit ba?"  
  
It was a moment of silence. Not that nagkaka-tampuhan na sila. Siguro it was a tiny bit awkward? May paunti-unting reklamo sila to break the heavy air like “Ang tagal naman ng order,” o “Gutom na ako,” pero basically wala naman na talaga silang mapagusapan. Ayaw na i-bring up ni Seongwoo ulit si Minseok while Daniel wanted to change the topic kaso medyo bothered siya sa idea na may boyfriend na si Kuya Minseok niya.  
  
Soon, their order came. All of a sudden, masaya na si Seongwoo dahil kanina pa siya gutom. Kumuha agad siya ng isang slice ng pizza at lumapang. Then napaisip si Daniel, baka naman kaya ganun mood ni Seongwoo kanina kasi gutom lang siya? Hay. Well, not that it still mattered. Iba na issue niya ngayon.  
  
"Nakasimangot ka pa rin,” ani Seongwoo. Nakatitig lang si Daniel sa plato niya na may pizza. “Ang cute mo."  
  
"Di ako nakasimangot,” pilit ni Daniel.  
  
Biglang pinisil ni Seongwoo ang pisngi ni Daniel. "Ngingiti na yan!”  
  
It could have reminded Daniel of Minseok pinching his cheeks sa jeep kanina but Seongwoo does this every time to him, too. And Seongwoo pinching his cheeks felt different. It was not the same as when Minseok did it, but it’s not that different either. He wondered why but he really couldn’t point out what made it different.  
  
"Tigilan mo nga ako," Daniel said pero wala naman siyang ginawa para alisin yung kamay ni Seongwoo sa mukha niya.  
  
"Bakit, bawal ba ako ma-cute-an sayo?"  
  
"Bawal."  
  
Seongwoo nodded, raising both his brows as he shrugged. "Okay di na ako maku-cute-an sa’yo."  
  
Nope. Daniel didn’t want that. He liked it kapag naku-cute-an si Seongwoo sa kaniya. "Grabe ka! Joke lang."  
  
Seongwoo laughed as he munched on his pizza. Daniel really loved it. Kapag masaya si Seongwoo. He had always loved his smile. Next time he’ll take note not to mention Minseok again in front of Seongwoo.  
  
Ayan, good mood na ulit sila.  
  
  
  
  
  
The next day, since isa lang naman class ni Daniel, dumeretso agad siya sa tambayan para tumulong ulit. They were almost done with the panels and just like everyone else, he was excited to see their final product. Habang sino-sort yung last set of photos, dumating sina Junmyeon at Minseok. Everyone greeted them, including Daniel, and then Junmyeon went straight to him. He put his arm over the younger’s shoulder. It could have been awkward kasi mas matangkad si Daniel kay Junmyeon pero buti nalang naka-upo siya sa sahig.  
  
“Hi kuya, bakit po?”  
  
“May nabalitaan ako,” Junmyeon said. From behind him, narinig ni Daniel na tumatawa ng mahina si Minseok.  
  
“Ano yun?”  
  
“Kaya pala tinatanong mo ako kahapon tungkol kay Kyungsoo. Taga-UST pala yung ka-date mo kahapon.” Ayan nanaman yung tono ni Junmyeon. Sinusubukan niyang hulihin talaga si Daniel.  
  
“Sino may sabi sa’yo?” Tanong ni Daniel, sabay tingin kay Minseok. Umiling-iling si Minseok pero sa ngiti niya, alam niyang siya nagsabi nito kay Junmyeon. Probably a totally different story.  
  
“Grabe kayo! Di yun date! Best friend ko kasi--”  
  
“Kami rin ni Kyungsoo nagsimula sa best friend,” sabi ni Junmyeon. His point was so obvious.  
  
“Kuya Minseok! Kasalanan mo ‘to e!” Inabot ni Daniel yung crumpled na papel sa tabi niya sabay bato kay Minseok na parang busy bigla na sa phone niya. Nakangiti pa rin siya though as he tried to avoid the paper.  
  
“Wait, andun na raw si Jongdae. Iwan ko muna kayo,” sabi ni Minseok. He gave Daniel a wink and Junmyeon just waved at him.  
  
Hinintay ni Daniel na umalis muna si Minseok bago niya tinanong si Junmyeon. “Kuya, sino si Jongdae? Bagong member?”  
  
“Ay,” Junmyeon gave him a look somewhere between confused at di makapaniwala. “Di mo ba kilala si Jongdae?”  
  
Daniel shook his head.  
  
“Sure ka? Boyfriend ni Minseok.”  
  
Nanlaki ang mata ni Daniel. Di pa niya na-absorb kung ano yung sinabi ni Junmyeon, although it felt like tinutulak lang siya pahiga sa sahig ng feelings niya tapos konti nalang sisigaw na siya.  
  
“May...may boyfriend si Kuya Minseok?”  
  
“Di mo alam?” Junmyeon nodded. “Sa pagkaka-alam ko halos three years na sila. Taga-Ateneo boyfriend niya.”  
  
“Ah…”  
  
“Kuya Junmyeon!” May isang freshie na tumawag, at umalis na si Junmyeon sa tabi niya. Naiwang mag-isa si Daniel.  
  
Ayan nanaman yung labi niya, tumutulak na naman pasimangot. Ang alam niya magaling talaga siya mag-suppress ng feelings. Pero this time, parang di niya ata kaya. Bakit ganun? Parang nag-dilang anghel pa si Seongwoo sa kaniya. May boyfriend nga pala talaga si Minseok. All this time, taken na pala siya, at hindi alam ni Daniel. After all the pangaasar, pagiging mabait, at pagkurot ng pisngi, biglang wala lang pala talaga.  
  
Isang mahabang buntong hininga. Tumingin si Daniel sa Band-Aid na nakabalot pa rin sa daliri niya. Kulang yung Band-Aid na binigay ni Minseok. Kelangan pa ng isa para sa puso niya.  
  
Tumigil saglit si Daniel sa sino-sort niyang pictures. Kinuha niya yung phone, dumeretso sa Messenger, at hinanap ang convo nila ni Seongwoo.  
  
“ _Panget,_ ” type niya. Daniel checked the time. Halos ala-singko na ng hapon. Siguro naman gising na best friend niya. A few seconds later, ayun nga. Nag-reply. Gising na.  
  
“ _Hu dis?_ ” Sagot ni Seongwoo. As expected kapag tinatawag siyang panget.  
  
“ _Gago. May balita ako. Kasalanan mo ‘to e._ ” Di na niya hinintay pang mag-reply kaibigan niya. “ _May boyfriend si Kuya Minseok :( Tangina._ ”  
  
“ _Sabi sa’yo e._ ”  
  
“ _Ang sad ko._ ”  
  
Matagal-tagal bago naka-reply si Seongwoo. “ _Wala ka naman pasok bukas diba? Iinom mo na yan. May beer pa ako rito._ ”  
  
Natawa bigla si Daniel. Palibhasa wala siyang klase hanggang Monday. “ _Sira._ ”  
  
“ _Ayaw mo? Okay lang. Ako nalang iinom._ ”  
  
“ _Joke lang. Punta ako jan later._ ”  
  
Seongwoo gave him a thumbs up sticker. He was typing for a while pero nawala din. Then wala na. End of convo.  
  
Tinitigan ulit ni Daniel yung photos na kelangan niya ayusin. Pwede bang iwan na niya ‘to? Gusto na niyang uminom.  
  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, sa condo ni Seongwoo, nakatitig ang binata sa phone habang nakahilata sa kama. Naka-open pa rin yung Messenger niya. Sa baba, naka-type:  _Ang manhid mo talaga. Nakakainis ka._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. BEFORE EVERYTHING ELSE, yes I know po na AS yung Palma Hall but not everyone knows na it’s called AS. Yun lang po. Thought I needed to give a defensive note.  
> 2\. WHO THOUGHT I’D WRITE A WANNA ONE FIC? NO ONE. NOT EVEN ME. THIS WAS A SURPRISE. Pero masaya po ako kasi I ship OngNiel po.  
> 3\. Salamat po kay @adorabobo sa OngNiel training ko, at kay @kametoahiru for always making sure na di mukhang tanga yung sinusulat ko.  
> 4\. Kanta ni Seongwoo kay Daniel: Click [here](https://youtu.be/Qcw8zHvhLyQ). Char lang. Hashtag po natin for this chapter is #BIG4AUManhidKa.


	4. Unang Sagupa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kahit ideny pa niya sa sarili niya, di makakailang excited si Sehun para sa unang date niya with Jeonghan. Pero mukhang hindi okay ang umaga niya kasi...you can’t always have everything daw. Now it’s up for the both of them paano babawiin the rest of the day. No pressure kay Jeonghan though. Also, Jongin and Johnny are still the most supportive and annoying best friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Manigong bagong taon sangkatauhan! Again, as I said before, this is a new Big 4 AU. Not the same universe as the original Big 4 AU kahit La Sallian si Sehun. New characters, mostly from Seventeen. You can use the hashtag #Big4AUUnangSagupa.

Isang araw, maagang nagising si Sehun. Masaya ang bangon niya kahit may quiz siya in three hours sa only Saturday class niya. It didn’t matter naman dahil mas importante yung magaganap hapon. Yup, ito ang araw ng first date niya with Green Archer [#4](https://www.livejournal.com/rsearch/?tags=%234) Yoon Jeonghan. So why care about a quiz getting a bokya when you can have someone who knows how to handle your bola. Besides, goal ni Sehun ngayon ay to focus on what could possibly be his forever—a future with a basketball player—and not on the ephemeral sadness of a zero over twenty.  
  
“Minsan lang naman maka-zero,” inisip niya. Umiling-iling si Sehun na nakangiti, hawak-hawak ang mug ng kape. If there was one thing he definitely got straight today, it’s his priorities. Hindi siya.  
  
Hindi na siya nagulat nang pagdating niya sa school, si Johnny at si Jongin agad ang sumalubong sa kaniya, both wearing the pinaka-malisyosong smile ever na nakita niya sa isang dekadang pagkakaibigan nila. Sehun knew what to expect. Pagpasok na pagpasok niya past the entrance, sabay na umakbay ang dalawa.  
  
“So nakapag-review ka raw ba?” Tanong ni Johnny.  
  
“For the quiz?”  
  
Tumango-tango si Jongin. “Baka kasi mahirap yung mga tanong. Baka di ka makasagot.”  
  
Napataas ng kilay si Sehun. Wait. Diba mamaya pa yung quiz? Bakit alam na ni Jongin kung gaano kahirap yung tanong? Late na ba siya? Tumingin siya sa relos niya. May kalahating oras pa bago yung class. “Ha?”  
  
“Oo mahirap,” habol ni Jongin. “You know, tipong: There's a bar around here, want to grab a drink? Want coffee after this somewhere? Would you mind if ihatid na kita pauwi?”  
  
“Paano kung di ganun? Paano kung tipong: How many kids? Sub or dom? Top or bottom?” Gatong ni Johnny sabay halakhak ng dalawa. Aba pota. Of course. Of course alam nila!  
  
“Tangina niyo a! Anong top bottom sub dom kayo diyan?” Inangat-angat ni Sehun ang balikat niya para bumitaw na ang dalawa sa pagkaka-akbay. “It’s a date to get to know each other, hindi to get into each others pants!”  
  
“Dun din naman punta nun,” bulong ni Johnny.  
  
Binatukan siya ni Sehun. “And it’s versa, for your info.”  
  
“Didn’t need to know that,” Johnny groaned.  
  
“Hindi, pero seriously,” singit ni Jongin. “Di ako nagaral.”  
  
“Ako rin,” ani Sehun.  
  
“Excited ka sa date ano?” Kinurot-kurot ni Johnny ang tagiliran ni Sehun.  
  
“Tagal na niyang walang jowa, of course excited ‘yan.” Parang si Jongin na yung sumagot sa tanong. Di naman makapalag si Sehun, nagpipigil nalang siya ng tawa dahil oo, excited siya at di naman niya matanggi. Di rin niya alam kung maiinis ba siya o matutuwa sa pangaasar dahil half-naasar naman siya pero half-kinikilig din.  
  
“Saka kaya ko naman lumandi ano,”  
  
And speaking of landi, sa kabilang hallway biglang lumitaw si Jeonghan, naka-light pink button-down and napa-lunok nalang ng laway si Sehun as his vision turns slow-motion, pati yung pag-flip ni Jeonghan ng hair niya habang naglalakad. Suddenly, his fave basketball player is the most beautiful flower boy in campus.  
  
Siniko-siko ni Jongin si Sehun nang napansin niyang natulala nalang si Sehun. “Kulang nalang tumulo laway mo.”  
  
Napa-clear ng throat si Sehun, di namamalayang nagiging mapula na ang mukha niya.  
  
“Uy, later ah?”  
  
Nakita na pala sila ni Jeonghan. Si Sehun naman, naka-tanga pa rin. Masyado na siyang tinamaan. Siniko ulit siya ni Jongin sabay bigay ng  _give-him-an-answer_  look.  
  
“Ah! Yes, see you.”  
  
Jeonghan gave him a short but soft smile and that’s all it took para manghina na ng todo ang tuhod ni Sehun. Napahawak siya sa braso ni Jongin ng mahigpit. Fuck, since when was he this weak for Jeonghan? Parang nung isang araw lang kaya pa niyang tiisin mga advances niya. Tapos the past few days, tuwing nagkakakitaan sila every time na nakatambay sila ni Jongin sa fave bench nila at bumabati si Jeonghan, keri lang naman siya. Di naman siya natutunaw.  
  
Pero ngayon kulang nalang ihagis niya sarili niya kay Jeonghan. Anong meron? Just because they’d go out for real na at nagsi-sink in na sa kaniya na abot kama(y) na niya yung akala niyang short-lived crush lang? Iba rin. But nope, kelangan strong siya. Kelangan kaya niyang makipagsabayan sa landian. Di pwedeng siya lang tatanggap.  
  
Versa nga diba?  
  
“Wow, whipped.” Johnny commented.  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
  
  
  
Natapos ang quiz. Finally. Pero ang inaakala ni Sehun na “ _okay lang ma-zero_ ” ay biglang naging “ _puta ayoko na mabuhay_.” Twenty questions, tatlo lang nasagot niya tapos yung isa mali pa. Di niya kinaya. Suddenly, the day was ruined. It didn’t help na Jongin who said na “di rin ako nag-aral” ay naka-score ng 18/20.  
  
“Traydor ka e, sabi mo di ka nag-aral,” ani Sehun habang naka-upo sila sa isang bench, nakasimangot at masama ang tingin kay Jongin.  
  
“Di naman talaga!” Tinaas pa ni Jongin kamay niya.  
  
Napabuntong hininga nalang si Sehun. Tumingin siya sa oras. 10:20 AM. Twenty minutes na rin pala siyang nagmumukmok sa score niya na kamukmok-mukmok naman talaga. Tinatapik-tapik nalang siya ni Jongin sa balikat and he wasn’t sure if that should be comforting knowing na pinagtaksilan siya ng sarili niyang best friend. Wala na. Wala na siya sa mood. Gusto nalang niyang umuwi at matulog.  
  
Maya-maya pa ay dumaan nanaman si Jeonghan and cue the confused emotions right now. Sehun felt his heart go dugeun dugeun but his brain was telling him that he should be the saddest person on earth right now. Dahil diyan, when he raised his head and looked at Jeonghan, Sehun was wearing probably the most adorable pout ever.  
  
Napatigil si Jeonghan. Yung typical soft smile na meron siya biglang nawala tapos nakatitig lang siya kay Sehun. Jongin awkwardly watched how the two basically stared at each other but if he could describe what he just saw, sure siyang ang tumatakbo sa utak ni Jeonghan ay “ _Fuck, that was cute_.”  
  
“A-are you okay?”  
  
“Not really.”  
  
Jeonghan didn’t know what to say. He looked at Jongin at si Jongin, nag-shrug lang. If ayaw ipa-alam ni Sehun, he wouldn’t spill it naman.  
  
“Cheer up!” Ani Jeonghan sabay pat sa balikat ni Sehun. “I’ll see you…” He looked at his wrist watch. “Uh, in an hour?”  
  
Sehun nodded. “Thanks. Will just text. See you.”  
  
Nang umalis na si Jeonghan, agad lumapit si Jongin sabay bulong. “I was pretty sure he wanted to say, ‘I will make you feel better later,” and he wiggled his brows. Napa-hampas si Sehun sa hita ni Jongin at biglang natawa.  
  
“Gago.”  
  
Lumingon si Jeonghan nang marinig yung tawa ni Sehun, sabay wave ng kamay. Sehun waved back. Hay, he really needed to cheer up. He resolved right at that moment na hindi niya ii-spoil ang first date niya.  
  
  
  
  
It was quite a long debate though kung kaninong kotse ang gagamitin dahil both insisted na sila na mag-drive. Sehun won obviously on the promise na he would forget about the quiz (because to begin with and as he originally convinced himself this morning, it should be ephemeral sadness naman) and that he would try his best to be as happy as possible. Sehun agreed at pumayag si Jeonghan na they’d use Sehun’s car.  
  
At Jeonghan tried his best naman para di na maalala ni Sehun yung quiz. Dami niyang sinasabi, dami niyang kwento. Effective naman dahil maya-maya, tumatawa na si Sehun sa mga jokes ni Jeonghan, sa mga kwento niya about Johnny, mga kalokohan nila sa team, at kung ano-ano pa.  
  
“Hope you didn’t mind me not bringing flowers, or anything,” Jeonghan said. He was tapping his thighs.  
  
Sehun shrugged. “Okay lang. Not a fan of flowers.” Then may bigla siyang naisip. Bumilis tibok ng puso niya but before he could even actually think through it, lumabas na siya sa bibig niya. “Besides, you’re better than flowers and chocolates naman.”  
  
Natahimik bigla si Jeonghan. Di mapigilan ni Sehun yung mangiti dahil achievement na yan for the day. Di bale nang minus points sa subject kung plus points naman sa puso ni Jeonghan.  
  
“Paanong better, more beautiful than flowers o more delicious than chocolates?” Biglang tanong ni Jeonghan at wow bimb di prepared si Sehun dun! Hinuhuli ba siya? Baka naman mamaya maging fuck-kill-marry na ulit ‘to. Buti nalang kaya pa niyang mag-compose ng sarili—well, wala siyang choice kelangan niyang kumalma dahil nagda-drive siya. Pota.  
  
Sehun shrugged. “Ikaw bahala, I mean I think both pero you choose kung ano ka ngayon dun.”  
  
Nice.  _Safe_.  
  
Jeonghan nodded. “Okay, dun tayo sa una.”  
  
“Tapos next time sa pangalawa na.” This time, Sehun smirked. Ramdam niya yung butterflies sa tiyan niya pero bahala na. Feel niyang lumandi ngayon at walang makakapigil sa kaniya.  
  
Jeonghan laughed yung halatang bumenta sa kaniya yung sinabi ni Sehun. Wala pang isang minuto nagawa nilang dalawa na mag-evolve from landi to harot. Iba.  
  
“Ganiyan ka ba talaga bumanat? Smooth eh.”  
  
Sehun appreciated that validation. To be honest, hindi naman siya normally ganiyan pero kapag sinimulan niya, dere-deretso na. “Hmm, well Jongin would always tell me na magaling daw ako sa ganiyan. Not entirely sure how true is that dahil kapag bumabanat ako sa kaniya pa-joke lang naman.  
  
Jeonghan nodded. “Knew Johnny for quite some time na pero lately ko lang na-meet si Jongin talaga.”  
  
“Ah, lately na lang din siya sumasama samin,” Sehun explained. “Dati lagi yang nasa UP. Kaso he broke up with his girlfriend so ayun, balik barkada.”  
  
“Oh, straight siya?”  
  
Sehun shook his head. “Not really. He dated a guy before pero saglit lang. His latest ex was his longest relationship so far. Sayang nga e. Thought sila na magpapatunay ng forever but I guess they weren’t really meant to get it.”  
  
“Yung forever?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Eh ikaw, you think you’ll find it?”  
  
Sehun shrugged again. “We’ll see. Malay mo today ko mahanap.”  
  
“Hoooy!” Natawa nalang ulit si Jeonghan pero halata na sa pisngi niya na ume-effect talaga sa kaniya mga banat ni Sehun. “Nakakarami ka na a! Nape-pressure na ako.”  
  
They laughed and Sehun decided na dapat na niya nga sigurong tigilan din ang mga banat. Baka maubusan siya ng bala. He drove while he listened to Jeonghan’s kwento, or answered his questions. Medyo maraming tanong about Sehun’s relationship with Johnny and Jongin which he didn’t really mind dahil they’re the people Jeonghan were likely to see and interact with the most if...things go the better if not the best way for them. Besides, there’s something sa boses ni Jeonghan that Sehun really liked. Madalas rin ngumiti si Jeonghan which Sehun had grown to be fond of—or maybe had fallen in love with, he just wasn’t sure yet. There’s plenty of time to think about it. May buong araw pa siya to appreciate it more, din.  
  
Technically, di pa nagsisimula date nila pero alam na ni Sehun na he would want a second date.  
  
  
  
  
Thankfully nakapag-decide agad sila on their way palang kung saan kakain. Deretso sila sa Rockwell and got a table for two sa Tuan Tuan. Si Sehun ang namili, pumayag naman si Jeonghan. Besides, gutom na rin sila so di na sila choosy.  
  
“Anong ibig sabihin ng Tuan Tuan?” Tanong ni Jeonghan habang tumitingin sa menu.  
  
Sehun hummed. “Pagkakatanda ko, it means ‘round and round’ e.”  
  
Di mapigilan ni Jeonghan na mangiti. “Ah, kaya pala. Sakto.”  
  
“Ha?”  
  
“Sakto. Round and round,” Jeonghan paused sa pagcheck sa menu and then tumingin siya kay Sehun. “Sayo kasi umiikot mundo ko.”  
  
Napa-iling nalang si Sehun dahil caught off guard siya run. That was horrible pero di niya mapigilan ang sariling mangiti. Nakakainis pero nakakakilig.  
  
“Nahuli ako run a,” Sehun said and Jeonghan simply chuckled. They continued choosing what to eat when Sehun felt his phone vibrate. He checked it. It was Jongin, messaging him on Telegram.  
  
“ _Ano na nangyayari? Musta date? Kakasal ka na ba?_ ”  
  
Sehun shook his head. “ _Kakain palang kami, sira. Excited much?_ ”  
  
Sumagot agad si Jongin.”  _Concerned lang. Pakilinaw anong kakainin, food or siya?_ ”  
  
“ _Pota ka!_ ” Send ni Sehun. “ _Food kasi. Di pa kami nagla-lunch._ ”  
  
“ _Okay, balitaan mo ako!_ ”  
  
“ _Oo. Papiliin mo muna ako ng kakainin. Mamaya ka na mag-chat._ ”  
  
Jeonghan cleared his throat. Tumingin si Sehun from his phone to his date. “May napili ka nang food?”  
  
Jeonghan only nodded.  
  
“Ah, wait, di pa ako nakakapili.” Sehun skimmed through the menu and searched for the noodle meal he initially wanted. “There.”  
  
Jeonghan raised his hand and a kuya came to get their orders. Once done and the kuya left them, Jeonghan fixed his posture and heaved a relaxed sigh.  
  
“Who was that kanina? Ngiting-ngiti ka” Jeonghan asked and he sounded like he was about to tease Sehun.  
  
Sehun blinked.  _Ay, napansin niya_. Well, he had no choice naman but to answer. “Jongin. He was bugging me about this date. They were...let’s say excited for me.”  
  
“I have a proposal.” Nilabas ni Jeonghan ang phone niya from his pocket and then nilapag sa mesa. “We put our phones here para walang distraction. I mean, I hope you don’t mind. Just thought na we should make the most out of each other’s company. At least ngayong lunch.”  
  
Sehun nodded. Besides, the goal of their date was to get to know each other better nga naman.  
  
“We get our phones lang…” Jeonghan hummed habang nagiisip kung ano itutuloy niya. “If we get to answer ten questions about each other na hindi pa natin alam sa isa’t isa. You good with that?”  
  
“Yup.” Fair deal. Kinuha ni Sehun ang phone niya at pinatong sa ibabaw ng phone ni Jeonghan. “Deal. When do we start this interrogation.”  
  
“Interrogation talaga?”  
  
“Uh, interview?”  
  
Jeonghan chuckled. “Fine, interview. Ngayon na. Although we limit to a few questions lang muna para naman marami pa tayo mapagusapan later.”  
  
“Sure. I go first.” Sehun tapped his fingers on the table as he thought of a question. Ano bang gusto niyang malaman kay Jeonghan na hindi pa niya alam? Well, marami siyang hindi alam so it’s more of ano sa mga di niya alam about Jeonghan ang gusto niyang malaman? Hmm.  
  
“Who and when was your first date in college?”  
  
Napatawa ng onti si Jeonghan. He bit his lip as if he was shy and Sehun was confused for a moment. “May ico-confess ako. Wag mo sabihin sa iba ah, kahit si Johnny di alam ‘to.”  
  
Uy wow. New info. Nasa sharing ng secret level na sila. Bet. Sehun nodded a little too excitedly.  
  
Jeonghan heaved a sigh. “Nung first year, I had my first date. Tapos...ang nag-aya sakin ng date, si Seungcheol.”  
  
Sehun’s eyes widened and he wasn’t sure if tatawa ba siya o his jaw would drop. “Seryoso? Seungcheol as in your teammate?”  
  
Jeonghan only nodded. “Yeah.”  
  
“But... What happened?”  
  
“Well, the date was fun pero wala e. Didn’t feel it. I mean  _we_  didn’t feel it so after ng isang date wala na.” Jeonghan made a prolonged shrug and Sehun could say na parang wala lang din talaga yung date na na-experience niya before. “Cheol’s met a better one for him though. Mukhang okay naman sila, wala pa nga lang label.”  
  
“Ah, the one from Ateneo?”  
  
“Yup. Jisoo. Heard they dated quite a few times na. Even went backpacking together last year.”  
  
Sehun shook his head slowly, wearing an intrigued smile. “That was really interesting. Sobrang di ko inexpect.”  
  
“I’m expecting an equally interesting story from you ah,” Jeonghan squinted.  
  
“Okay, ask away.”  
  
Inayos ulit ni Jeonghan pagkaka-upo niya sabay hila papalapit sa mesa ng upuan. He leaned a little forward so that he’s closer to Sehun. “Worst date experience ever?”  
  
Napaisip si Sehun before remembering one when he had vacation sa US. “I think the worst would be...hmm. Sa US. I tried Tinder, got a match. It was pretty quick actually. We met up and then he asked if I’m interested in museum dates. I am of course. And then ayun. He brought me to a surgery museum,”  
  
Jeonghan’s eyes widened. “A what?”  
  
  
“Surgery museum. Basta it was weird!” Sehun shook his head habang naalala niya yung mga nakita niya sa museum. He thought he shouldn’t be talking about this when they were just about to have their lunch pero nasimulan na niya yung kwento. And Jeonghan looked really interested so bahala na. Tuloy na. “Like there were body parts in jars of formalin. Sobrang...ugh.”  
  
Jeonghan could only mutter “Oh my god” with a hand over his mouth.  
  
“I hope that didn’t make you feel uncomfortable?”  
  
“No carry on.”  
  
“Alright. So...turns out my date was a nursing student and he was really interested sa ganun kasi his parents were both surgeons. And he would talk about medical procedures his parents would do in full detail—while we’re inside the museum. It felt more graphic especially when you see the exact body parts he would talk about.”  
  
“That...was…”  
  
“Weird. Yeah.”  
  
“I mean like sure I know you’re passionate sa goals in life mo but like...maybe ask me first if I’m interested talking about severed penises and broken leg bones on our first date?”  
  
Sehun shivered and Jeonghan laughed. “So if I spill a drink pala today it wouldn’t count as a bad date pala.”  
  
Tumango-tango si Sehun. “A date with you would never be a bad date naman.”  
  
“Ayan ka nanaman!”  
  
“Di ka prepared ano?”  
  
Umiling si Jeonghan. “I was so into your story. Of course!”  
  
“Story ko lang? Not into me?”  
  
Napa-sandal nalang si Jeonghan sa upuan niya. Sehun had never felt so achieved in his landian game ever. Out-landi-ing an already malanding date isn’t always easy. Good thing he was ready with his banats.  
  
They continued asking questions hanggang sa dumating na pagkain nila. They went for the basics muna like ilan ba silang magkakapatid (si Jeonghan may younger sister, si Sehun may older brother), where they went nung high school (Claret si Jeonghan and true-blood Archer si Sehun kasi he’s from Greenhills), and a few personal information like Jeonghan loving to cook dahil sa parents niya, which Sehun really liked because the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach daw, and Sehun owning a pet dog which he would call his daughter.  
  
They were off to a good start lalo na’t the date was hitting it off. Wala pa namang masyadong espesyal except sa mga paunti-unting exchange ng banat whenever the most opportune moment arrived which was kind of expected. As far as the questions were concerned, may natitira pang pito na tanong bago nila makuha uli yung phones nila. And speaking of phones, halos di matigil sa pag-vibrate yung kay Sehun. He knew it was either Jongin or Johnny. He wanted to tell them stories na pero he was, one, starting to enjoy Jeonghan’s company, and two, ayaw rin niyang mauwi sa phonezoning ang date nila.  
  
  
  
  
After a spending an hour sa Tuan Tuan, they decided to spend the rest of the afternoon sa isang cafe. Pahinga muna and chill, and then tuloy ng kwentuhan. Jeonghan exhausted seven of his ten questions na while Sehun still had four. To be honest they were not in a hurry to get their phones back but they soon realized na this “interview” was fun. Indeed, they were learning a lot about each other pero mas nae-enjoy nila yung mga kwento, and how they began to loosen up and feel a lot more comfortable sa isa’t isa. It wouldn’t be too long before they would lose track of their question count.  
  
Umorder si Sehun ng cafe latte while Jeonghan got himself a lemon ginger tea. Tinutuloy nila yung kwentuhan nila sa pet peeves nila (they both loathed “stuffs” and “foods”) when Jeonghan stopped talking.  
  
“Oh, bakit?”  
  
Then, nang walang pasabi, kinuha ni Jeonghan ang tissue sa table nila and he reached for the corner of Sehun’s lips. Di na nakagalaw pa si Sehun dahil nabigla rin siya. Cue the biglang pagtaas ng heartbeat at pagblangko ng utak.  
  
Nilapag na ni Jeonghan yung tissue and Sehun could only look down on his cup. Shet, swabe. Better than all their banats combined.  
  
“S-sorry.” Jeonghan pulled back and sat straight. Napansin niya atang medyo nawala sa ulirat si Sehun. “It’s been there kanina pa. I thought you would notice but…”  
  
“It’s okay,” Sehun muttered. “Thanks.”  
  
He heaved a sigh. Their fun and comfortable conversation shouldn’t be interrupted by awkward silence. “So, going back,” biglang sabi ni Sehun. “You said you plan to write about what for your paper?”  
  
Nabawasan yung obvious tension sa mukha ni Jeonghan and he continued talking about religion and political participation. Medyo naloka si Sehun sa topic but he could grasp naman. He’s grateful that Jeonghan was exerting effort to make it sound easy to understand. Kahit yung mga technical topics like Weber’s typology of religions, na-appreciate ni Sehun. Dami pa niyang natutunan. O diba?  
  
But at the back of Sehun’s head, nagpapaulit-ulit yung paglapat ng tissue sa gilid ng lips niya, yung saglit na warmth ng fingers ni Jeonghan sa kaniyang mukha. And it kept sending butterflies to his stomach. That was a brave move pero Sehun is soft for cliches. Kahit corny para sa iba, iba kapag nangyayari in real life. Di niya namamalayan baka nagba-blush na pala siya.  
  
O di kaya’y nafo-fall na talaga.  
  
  
  
Medyo madilim-dilim na when they decided to go home. Unfortunately, di nila naalala na Saturday night traffic can be as bad as a weekday so ito sila, slowly moving, minsan di pa umuusad. Buti pa yung feelings nila mas mabilis pa ang andar kesa sa EDSA.  
  
Dahil mahaba ang biyahe nila, kung ano-anong topic na napagusapan nila. Like kung sinong favorite nila sa Powerpuff Girls, anong Hogwarts house nila, at gaano ka-fascist ang Paw Patrol compared sa Thomas and Friends.  
  
“Maiba lang,” ani Sehun. “Anong shampoo mo pala?”  
  
“Ha?”  
  
“Shampoo. Yanno,” and Sehun acted out yung pag-shampoo ng buhok.  
  
Natawa si Jeonghan. “Pantene.”  
  
“Talaga?”  
  
Jeonghan didn’t quite understand why there was excitement in Sehun’s voice. Medyo napataas siya ng kilay while nodding.  
  
“Wala lang,” Sehun continued. “I use Pantene din pero bakit ganun, mas maganda yung buhok mo kesa sakin.”  
  
Jeonghan could only laugh in amusement. “Ang cute mo.”  
  
“Don’t laugh at me nga!”  
  
“Okay lang yun. Mas gwapo ka naman.”  
  
Napangiti nalang si Sehun sa flattery. “Kung maka ‘mas gwapo,’ akala mo siya hindi gwapo.”  
  
They both chuckled and agreed na fine, pareho na silang gwapo. Kaya nga attracted sila sa isa’t isa e. Char.  
  
“Uhm,” Sehun hummed nang biglang matahimik silang dalawa. “I still have one more question.”  
  
“Been counting. That’s gonna be your twentieth question na actually,” Jeonghan said.  
  
Sehun gave him a surprised look. “Oy, totoo? Grabe ka di ko nga binibilang tanong mo kahit alam kong more than ten ka na rin.”  
  
Napangiti si Jeonghan. “Joke lang. Go, ano yun?”  
  
“Thoughts about kissing on the first date?”  
  
“ _Oh_ ,” Jeonghan said.  
  
Ayan nanaman yung bubbles at butterflies sa tiyan ni Sehun. Mga ilang segundo ring lumipas na wala siyang nakuhang sagot at ready nang mag-sorry si Sehun sa tanong niya nang biglang magsalita si Jeonghan.  
  
“It depends but I think I don’t really mind? I’m okay with it.”  
  
Tumingin si Sehun sa traffic lights. It’s still red. May more than 20 seconds pa before magiging go. Then tumingin siya kay Jeonghan who wasn’t looking at him. The dim city lights shone on his face and his side profile looked pretty—no, it looked beautiful.  _Jeonghan_  looked beautiful. The sweet, soft smile Sehun had always adored was there. Kahit sa kakaunting liwanag, he could see it.  
  
It was a passing thought. Hindi seryoso, and it lingered in his head for only a few seconds. But the next thing he knew, he was doing it. Sehun leaned to his right. Before Jeonghan could react, he had already done it.  
  
The traffic light turned green.  
  
He leaned to his right and kissed Jeonghan on the cheek.  
  
The car in front of them began to move and Sehun followed suit. Nakatingin siya sa daan not only because he was driving but also because he wasn’t sure what to feel. Halong proud, takot, hiya, at excited. His brain had gone a bit haywire, not too bad to lose control of the car but erratic enough to fail to imagine what Jeonghan would react. Kita—at ramdam—niyang nakatingin sa kaniya Jeonghan.  
  
“Nice,” Jeonghan said.  
  
“Nice?”  
  
Jeonghan chuckled. “You planned this ano?”  
  
Sehun shook his head. “Sorry.”  
  
“No.” Nakangiti si Jeonghan. “No, it’s okay. Don’t be.”  
  
Then yumuko siya, as if trying to hide the really wide grin he was failing to suppress. Even with only the street lights, he could see how red Jeonghan’s ears were. It was at that point na Sehun realized he did the right thing. Ito na siguro yung pinaka-kilig na nakita niyia kay Jeonghan.  
  
Congratulations Sehun.  
  
  
  
  
The rest of the trip was relatively silent. Wala na rin naman silang mapagusapan at medyo pagod na rin sila. They spent thirty minutes more before they reached Jeonghan’s condo sa Vito Cruz.  
  
“Thanks for today,” Sehun said, smiling. “I enjoyed it.”  
  
“Same here.” Jeonghan smiled back. “Does that mean I can still ask you out for another date?”  
  
There. Sehun was waiting for it. Thank God Jeonghan was never a disappointment. “Of course.”  
  
“Great. I’ll text you?” Binigay ni Jeonghan kay Sehun yung phone niya. Oo nga pala. Nakatago yung phones nila. Nakalimutan na ni Sehun dahil masyado siyang nag-enjoy sa date.  
  
“Sure. Ingat.”  
  
“Ikaw rin.”  
  
Binuksan ni Jeonghan ang pinto at halos palabas na siya ng sasakyan when he sat back. Bigla siyang lumapit, leaning past the gear shift, and Jeonghan’s lips almost touching Sehun’s ear. Everything happened in just a second. Sehun could smell yung exact scent ng Pantene sa buhok ni Jeonghan mixing with his cologne. He smelled so nice.  
  
Jeonghan opened his mouth. “ _Next time sa lips na_.”  
  
He planted a kiss on Sehun’s right cheek and pulled away.  
  
Walang nasabi si Sehun. Nanlaki lang mata niya habang nakatitig kay Jeonghan who was laughing at him.  
  
“Ingat sa pag-drive,” sabi ni Jeonghan. He got off the car, gently closed the door, and waved before entering the condo.  
  
Sehun was left inside his car, stunned and still in disbelief. His heart was beating fast—so fast he actually had to put a clenched fist on his chest. Wow, just when he thought he had outlandi-ed Jeonghan, biglang may surprise kiss and maharot na bulong pa bago umuwi. That was slick and great at the same time. And it actually felt nice? He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this kind of kilig but it didn’t matter now, did it?  
  
His reverie was cut when his phone began vibrating. It was Johnny texting him.  
  
" _Potangina nito mag-reply ka naman! Naka-ilang round na ba kayo? Pahinga naman!_ "  
  
Napa-iling si Sehun. Mamaya na siya magrereply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Happy new year mga bimbies! Ito na po pasensiya na sa sobrang habang delay dahil may estudyante and family duties pa si authornim (char authornim daw). Also, after Jonghyun’s passing, I thought it would be inappropriate to publish something like this when everyone’s mourning. I was affected din by it so my muse left me for a long while. But I’m back and I hope this somehow made you smile.  
> 2\. Kung dati napagod ako sa kabebehan, ngayon napagod ako dahil ANG LANDI LANDI NILA.  
> 3\. At kung umaasa kayo na ang next chapter ay ang OngNiel, well…ano sa tingin niyo? :-)  
> 4\. Huwag po nating kalimutan ang hashtag #BIG4AUUnangSagupa. Maraming salamat as always kay @kametoahiru sa gabay. Charot.  
> 5\. If gusto niyo po ako kausapin at awayin, feel free to attack me sa aking [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/myeontague).


	5. Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Masaya sina Daniel at Seongwoo sa resulta ng UAAP Cheerdance Competition. Nanalo UST, at natalo yung...ano, other school. Okay na sana yung araw kaso biglang dumating si Kuya Minseok kasama ang kaniyang boyfriend. Pero may isa pang dumating na di inaasahan ni Daniel, kasabay ng feelings na di rin niya in-expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sa wakas updated na si OngNiel! This is the continuation of Chapter 3. Ang ating hashtag po ay #Big4AUBestFriend. Pagamit po ng hashtag dahil kahit di ko po naa-RT lahat, binabasa ko po silang lahat and I enoy reading them. You may also leave comments if you want! Thank you and enjoy!

Isang araw, nakatambay si Daniel at Seongwoo sa Starbucks sa gilid ng MoA Arena. Kakatapos lang ng UAAP Cheerdance Competition at sobrang swerte nila dahil sa dami ng tao, nakahanap sila ng upuan—saktong dalawa—and so they decided na magpahupa muna ng crowd bago umuwi.  
  
Masaya si Seongwoo, of course. After losing the podium finish last year, nanalong second UST ngayon. Daniel is as equally happy, too, kahit hindi nanalo ang UP. He knew that most of the pep squad members were new and he understood na ang gusto lang talaga nila is bumalik sa CDC and represent UP, not to win. Also, Seongwoo’s happy so he’s happy, too.  
  
“Di ka disappointed?” Tanong ni Seongwoo.  
  
Napangiti si Daniel sabay shrug. “Well, kind of. I mean we all expected something wow, pero it was mediocre. But I get naman. The ‘Aray’ part was funny and amusing though.”  
  
“True,” Seongwoo nodded. “Sana next year though galingan na ng UP Pep. Ganda ng Adamson e. Ibang level na.”  
  
“Actually.” Daniel said. “Pero masaya ako na nanalo sila. Kasi you know,  _the evil has been defeated_.” Kinuha niya yung cup of iced coffee niya sabay sip.  
  
“Hoooy,” Seongwoo laughed although he was cautious ng onti kasi baka may taga-NU na nakapaligid sa kanila. Thankfully wala naman. “Pero totoo.”  
  
At sabay silang tumawa. Habang tuloy ang kanilang kwentuhan, napansin ni Daniel na may pumasok sa shop na familiar ang mukha. He squinted and when he realized kung sino yun, tinawag niya agad.  
  
“Kuya Junmyeon!” O diba, what are the chances of seeing your senpai sa libo-libong umattend ng CDC diba?  
  
Humarap sa kanila si Jumyeon at kumaway. May kasama siya na di familiar kay Daniel, pero they were holding hands so he assumed siya yung boyfriend ni Kuya Junmyeon niya.  
  
“Hi,” Junmyeon greeted them. “This is Kyungsoo. I believe you two haven’t met,” he followed up, introducing his boyfriend to Daniel. Daniel stood up and shook his hand.  
  
“Daniel, ka-org ko po si Kuya Junmyeon,” Daniel said.  
  
Then tumingin si Kyungsoo kay Junmyeon, expecting him to introduce Daniel’s company pero Junmyeon didn’t know him and Daniel realized na it’s about to go awkward na so he immediately took the role from Junmyeon na.  
  
“Ah, si Seongwoo po. Best friend ko. He’s from UST,” Daniel said. Seongwoo gave them short bows and Kyungsoo’s eyes suddenly brightened.  
  
“Oh, hi! I’m from UST, too. Anong course mo?”  
  
“Architecture po,” sagot ni Seongwoo.  
  
“Ah, magkabilang dulo pala tayo,” Kyungsoo said. Daniel looked at Seongwoo at for some reason, na-amuse siya na get niya agad ng best friend niya yung sinabi ni Kyungsoo.  
  
“Engineering?” Seongwoo exclaimed. “Wow.”  
  
“Yup, electrical engineering,” sabi ni Kyungsoo. And from there, nagpatuloy yung pagkukwentuhan nila. Junmyeon and Daniel watched. Suddenly, parang close na magusap yung dalawa and the two could only smile in amusement.  
  
“Nanuod din pala kayo,” ani Junmyeon, and Daniel nodded.  
  
“Sa UST crowd siya though,” Daniel said. “Sa UP crowd ako.”  
  
Junmyeon laughed. “Of course. Of course.”  
  
There was something sa “of course” ni Junmyeon, like he was implying that Daniel was being defensive about him and Seongwoo but Daniel decided to not mind. Baka nago-overanalyze lang siya. Besides, it shouldn’t matter. Friends lang sila ni Seongwoo, and Seongwoo said na may napupusuan na siyang ibang tao. And he’s happy for his best friend.  
  
_Of course._  
  
“So…” Tapos na magusap yung mga Tomasino na kasama nila at bumalik na si Kyungsoo sa tabi ni Junmyeon. Lumapit siya sa tenga nito at may binulong, although that was quite a fail dahil rinig naman din ng dalawang mas bata nilang kasama.  
  
_“Are they like, you know...sila?”_  
  
Sabay ng pag-tawa ni Junmyeon. Hindi napigilan ng dalawa na magpanic at sabay pa silang nagsabi na, “Hindi po!”  
  
“Best friends lang po kami,” agad na sabi ni Daniel. Seongwoo didn’t follow it up pero umiling-uling lang siya.  
  
“Oops, sorry,” Kyungsoo said. He shared raised eyebrows with Junmyeon, and even with those soft smiles, ramdam na ramdam ni Daniel yung subtle malisya sa mga ngiti nila.  
  
“Oh,” ani Junmyeon, pre-empting Daniel’s attempt na i-defend ulit ang pagiging best friend nila ni Seongwoo. “Minseok’s coming here pala. I think papunta na rin sila rito.”  
  
Seongwoo tensed and Daniel felt it. Yung tingin ni Seongwoo, kulang nalang yakapin siya tapos takpan yung mata.  
  
“Sila?” Tanong ni Seongwoo. Daniel wasn’t sure if it was right na his best friend asked. But before Junmyeon could answer, they heard the door open. Daniel straightened up and all of them looked at the door.  
  
Slow mo. Pumasok si Minseok, in his glorious kapogian, his eyes blinking as he turned towards where Junmyeon was standing. He held the door open habang nagcu-curve yung lips niya into a soft smile. He seemed alone, dahil may mga kasabay rin siyang pumasok ng store pero nung tumingin uli siya sa likod niya at parang may inabot na kamay ng isang stranger, or at least stranger sa paningin ni Daniel, dun lang niya na-realize na tama yung ginamit na “sila” ni Jumyeon.  
  
Na di pala siya mag-isa. Na taken na nga pala talaga si Minseok.  
  
“Hi,” bati ni Minseok as soon as nakalapit sila kay Junmyeon. Then he saw Daniel, and his smile widened. “Uy, you’re here! And your…”  
  
Mag-best friend din ‘tong si Junmyeon at Minseok talaga dahil pareho sila kung magbigay ng malisyosong ngiti.  
  
“Seongwoo, kuya,” ani Daniel.  
  
“ _Your_  Seongwoo?”  
  
“Ha?”  
  
“Your best friend, Seongwoo, I mean.” Hindi nawala yung ngiti ni Minseok na sinabayan pa ng giggles ni Junmyeon. Wow, yung hyung support niya biglang binubully na siya.  
  
“Grabe kayo!” At yun lang ang nasabi ni Daniel. Thankfully, nag-move on na si Minseok sa pangaasar at pinakilala yung kasama niya—well, yung  _boyfriend_  niya. Si Jongdae. Minseok looked really happy and proud introducing him to everyone, at kahit medyo makirot sa dibdib ni Daniel, he couldn’t help but feel happy for his favorite hyung.  _Basta masaya mga paborito kong tao, masaya na rin ako_ , he told himself. And he couldn’t deny rin naman na Jongdae and Minseok looked good together.  
  
Junmyeon and Minseok (and their jowas) didn’t stay that long. Bumili lang sila ng maiinom for take-out at umalis din. Bago umalis, humabol pa si Minseok ng squint sabay ng gesture na “I’m watching you,” and then pointing at both Daniel and Seongwoo. Daniel dismissed it with a laugh. Seongwoo was busy checking his phone.  
  
“Bakit nila tayo inaasar?” Seongwoo asked as soon as Daniel’s hyung support was out of sight.  
  
Daniel shrugged. “Ewan. They think na we’ll end up together e we’re best friends lang naman.”  
  
Napabuntong hininga si Seongwoo. “Hay, kung alam lang nila.”  
  
Tumingin si Daniel kay Seongwoo and then he blinked. “Ha?”  
  
“I mean! Kung alam lang nila… na ano… na para silang hamster at pusa na mag-jowa,” comment Seongwoo, referring to Minseok and Jongdae. There was a moment of silence. Siguro mga three seconds. Tapos bigla silang nagtawanan.  
  
_Seongwoo 1, Daniel 0_.  
  
“Pero bagay sila,” ani Daniel habang tumatango-tango.  
  
Seongwoo squinted at him. “Are you saying that to convince yourself o talagang you think na bagay sila?”  
  
“Akala ko ba may usapan na tayo jan, bakit ka ganiyan?” It was a mix between laughter and whine. Kinurot niya si Seongwoo sa balikat and Seongwoo feigned extreme pain.  
  
“Ganyan ka naman e. Lagi mo akong sinasaktan,” Seongwoo muttered. Wow  _Huwaw_. Natigilan si Daniel dun.  
  
“Saan galing yung hugot?”  
  
Tumitig lang si Seongwoo kay Daniel, biglang blangko ang mukha. Then he blinked. Then he smiled. Tapos he did [this pose](https://media.giphy.com/media/xUPGcKjy91r1uGZw7m/giphy.gif) sabay sabi, “ _Joke lang._ ”  
  
Tumitig lang din si Daniel kay Seongwoo. Then he blinked. Then he smiled. “Sira ka talaga.”  
  
_Seongwoo, 2. Daniel, 0._  
  
  
  
  
Two weeks ago nang dumeretso si Daniel sa condo ni Seongwoo right after ng org activity niya. Seongwoo said na inom nalang sila nung araw na yun. Besides, Daniel had the reason to drink. It was  _the_  Saturday, that unfortunate afternoon nang malaman niyang hindi na pala single si Kuya Minseok niya, the best human being to ever exist.  
  
Sinundo ni Seongwoo si Daniel sa lobby ng condo. There was little exchange and they simply headed to the unit almost silently. Nang may makasalubong pa nga sila na kaibigan ni Seongwoo sa condo, and he introduced Daniel to him, it was pretty awkward kasi halatang ang down ng atmosphere. Well, Daniel tried to smile naman. Mukha nga lang siyang sinipit ng alimango sa singit when he did.  
  
Naka-ready na yung mga bote ng beer at konting chips sa maliit na mesa. Tutunggain at papakyawin nalang lahat, and Seongwoo felt quite happy when Daniel let out a chuckle after seeing everything.  
  
“Feeling ko mas gusto mo pa atang uminom kesa sakin,” biro ni Daniel. Seongwoo almost wanted to say, “ _Oo, pero dahil mas malungkot ka, para sayo muna yan_.” He didn’t of course.  
  
The inuman session was more of Daniel talking about his fave kuya for almost the whole night. Di naman siya umiyak, pero he was really sad. Seongwoo could feel it, lalo na kapag super enthusiastic ng kwento niya about sa kulitan at biruan nila ni Minseok and then all of a sudden, biglang mawawala yung saya sa tono ng boses niya. Seongwoo didn’t like it, or at least his heart hated how he was seeing his best friend this way, but it was more frustrating na naiinis siya sa fact na naiinis siyang nakikitang ganito si Daniel dahil...to begin with, walang fully masisisi sa nangyari. Or maybe he could blame himself for not fully realizing how invested Daniel was on his crush kay Minseok…  
  
Or how deeply Seongwoo had already fallen for his best friend...  
  
But he was considerate, and he had always loved Daniel, so he let him talk. And talk.  
  
And when he fell silent, or at least Seongwoo thought Daniel was already done, biglang may tanong na di niya inasahan.  
  
“Wala kang kinukwento na tulad nito,” Daniel began. He was half-drunk. “Feeling ko may ganito ka nang experience tinatago mo lang sakin.”  
  
Seongwoo gulped. Ramdam naman niya na tumatalab na rin yung alcohol pero he was still sober. Yung mga moments na feeling niya mailalabas na niya yung mga tinatago niya, napipigilan pa niya. He simply hummed in response.  
  
“Daya mo.” Binato ni Daniel si Seongwoo ng isang pirasong Chippy na tumama sa balikat niya. “May gusto ka ba ngayon? Sino?”  
  
Seongwoo shrugged, and he got another Chippy this time sa pisngi.  
  
“Oo, meron—”  
  
“Oy sino—”  
  
“—pero secret.” Seongwoo gave himself a pat in the back. That was close.  
  
“Ang daya! Spill!”  
  
Seongwoo just laughed. Hindi siya sumagot. Tumayo siya and then dumeretso sa fridge to get more food. Ubos na yung kinukutkot nilang chips and Seongwoo wanted to eat pa. Besides, he bought something for today: isang buong lechong manok. Ininit niya sa microwave saka niya sinerve sa table.  
  
“Atin yan? Buong yan?” Tanong ni Daniel sabay ubos ng natitirang laman ng bote niya.  
  
Tumango-tango si Seongwoo. “Mas maraming pagkain, mas masaya.” Kasi yun naman yung point bakit andito si Daniel diba, para mapasaya ni Seongwoo.  
  
Siyempre hindi na tumanggi si Daniel. Umabot agad siya ng isa pang bote bago kinuha yung leg part ng manok. Kain, nguya, inom. Kain, nguya, inom. Masyado siyang natuwa, mukhang naumay rin siya sa chichirya. Okay na rin, at least para kay Seongwoo, dahil na-divert yung attention from sino-yung-gusto-ni-Seongwoo to shet-bakit-ngayon-mo-lang-to-nilabas.  
  
Naka-anim na bote na si Daniel, habang si Seongwoo tatlo palang. Halos kalahati na rin nakakain ni Daniel sa manok, habang si Seongwoo kuntento na ata sa isang thigh at isang wing.  
  
“Grabe, dahan-dahan naman sa inom,” ani Seongwoo. “Nine palang o, ang haba pa ng gabi naka-ilan ka na.”  
  
May tiny hint of slur na ang pagsasalita ni Daniel. Ayan na, malakas na tama. Mapula-pula na rin ang pisngi niya. Kelangan nang kontrolin ni Seongwoo yung kaibigan niya.  
  
“Hay nako,” sagot ni Daniel. “My liver can take what my heart can’t,”  
  
Oy, in fairness kay Daniel a, kahit lasing-lasing na nagagawa pang humugot ng may sense. Di napigilang matawa ni Seongwoo.  
  
“If that’s the case…” Inabot ni Seongwoo yung half-empty niyang bote sabay lagok. “Then ang tibay na pala ng liver ko.”  
  
Daniel looked at him with raised brows. “Ha?”  
  
Did he just say it out loud? Shet, pota. He was sure iniisip lang niya yun e. Seongwoo panicked ng onti.  
  
“Sabi ko lasing ka na.”  
  
Tinitigan lang ulit siya ni Daniel. Tinitigan din naman siya ni Seongwoo. Siguro mga limang sigundo rin silang nagtitigan, hanggang sa di na napigilan ni Seongwoo na mangiti.  
  
“Alam mo,” panimula ni Daniel, nakatingin sa bote habang iniikot-ikot yung kakaunting laman nito. “Ngayon ko lang napansin, ang pogi mo pala.”  
  
Halos mabuga ni Seongwoo yung nilalagok niyang beer.  
  
“Di mo na kelangang sabihin,” sabi ni Seongwoo. “Alam kong pogi ako.”  
  
“Gago.”  
  
“Eh ikaw alam mo ba?”  
  
“Na ano?”  
  
“Mahal kita.”  
  
Nginitian siya ni Daniel sabay ng pagbilis at paglakas ng kabog ng dibdib ni Seongwoo. Ito mahirap kapag nakainom siya. Yung mga hindi pa niya dapat sasabihin, sinasabi na niya.  
  
“Mahal din kita,” sagot ni Daniel.  
  
Napakapit ng mahigpit si Seongwoo sa hawak niyang bote. Totoo ba yung narinig niya?  
  
“Ha?”  
  
“Mahal din kita kasi best friends tayo diba?”  
  
And at that very moment, gusto nalang ni Seongwoo na ibato sa bintana yung hawak niyang bote at maglupasay sa sahig. Kung mabasag man yung bintana o yung bote, talong talo yun sa lakas ng pagkabasag ng puso niya.  _Kasi best friends tayo diba?_. Tangina, one-second heaven moment tapos bigla siyang hinampas pabalik sa lupa.  
  
Bumuntong hininga si Seongwoo. Tama na, he’s had enough. Tinabi na niya yung di niya naubos na alak.  
  
“Magmu-move on na ako,” biglang sabi ni Daniel. Walang sinabi si Seongwoo, hinintay lang niyang ituloy ng best friend niya yung sasabihin. “Promise. Kuya Minseok is just my kuya.”  
  
“Promise promise ka diyan e lasing ka naman.”  
  
“Di ako lasing,” sagot ni Daniel. “Promise ko yan. Mahahanap ko rin yung right person for me.”  
  
Tumango-tango lang si Seongwoo, this time kinagat na niya yung labi niya bago pa niya masabi out loud:  _Hahanap ka pa nasa harap mo na._  
  
It wasn’t long before Daniel passed out. Nakatulog na siya sa sahig, nakapatong ang ulo sa braso. Tumayo si Seongwoo and he attempted to pick daniel up. Pota ang bigat. Sa hilo-hilo rin niyang kondisyon, di rin niya mabalanse sarili niya. So he gave up. Kumuha nalang siya ng unan, nilagay sa ilalim ng ulo ni Daniel, then kinumutan.  
  
Okay na yan, isip niya. Ayaw rin naman niyang magising si Daniel, mahimbing na rin kasi yung tulog.  
  
Pero sana— _sana_ —magising na rin siya sa kamanhiran niya.  
  
  
  
  
They were still at Starbucks. Humupa na ang mga tao pero they were comfy na sa tinatambayan nila. Besides, di naman sila nagmamadali so okay lang naman. Walang pasok bukas so ma-late man sila ng uwi, it shouldn’t be a problem.  
  
Kung anu-anong topic na rin pinagu-usapan nila. Mga chismis sa schools nila, kung pupunta ba silang Lantern Parade, manunuod ng Oblation Run, if makakapasok ba si Daniel sa UST grounds if sasama siya sa Paskuhan. Pero in the middle of their conversation, biglang napatingin si Seongwoo sa labas. He angled his head a bit as if naninigurado na tama yung nakita niya. Then he smiled, to Daniel’s surprise.  
  
“Ano nginingit-ngiti mo diyan?”  
  
Tumayo si Seongwoo. “Wait lang. May nakita ako.”  
  
“Obviously may nakita ka--”  
  
Di na pinatapos ni Seongwoo si Daniel at dumeretso siya sa labas. Daniel just watched from inside the shop habang papalapit si Seongwoo sa isang kuya na medyo matangkad, tapos by his shirt and yung hawak niyang dilaw na balloon, he could tell na galing din siyang UST. Now he understood why Seongwoo knew the guy.  
  
He inched closer to the window para better view. Familiar si kuya, Daniel thought, pero he couldn’t remember saan niya nakita. He couldn’t hear of course but he could see na iba yung ngiti ni kuya at mukhang masaya rin si Seongwoo na nagkita sila. Then he remembered his inuman session with Seongwoo two weeks ago. Nabanggit ng best friend niya na meron na siyang gusto, pero di niya sinabi kung sino ‘to.  
  
Natigilan si Daniel. Hindi kaya...si kuya yung gusto ni Seongwoo?  
  
Daniel didn’t understand bakit siya napakunot ng noo.  
  
Habang nagkukwentuhan yung dalawa, bigla silang nagtawanan. Then hinampas ni Seongwoo si kuya sa braso tapos nag-slide ito from his upper arm to his elbow. After nun, si kuya naman umembrace kay Seongwoo, first yung braso over his shoulder then maya-maya, bumaba na ito sa likod then further sa waist where it settled.  
  
Again, Daniel didn’t understand why he was slowly clenching his fists.  
  
Inalis na ni kuya yung kamay niya sa waist ni Seongwoo and Daniel relaxed. Pero biglang napunta yung free hand sa ilong ni Seongwoo tapos kuya pinched it playfully. Seongwoo squished his face. Then there was a tap on the butt.  
  
“Pota?” Daniel mumbled, his brows slightly furrowed.  
  
They were waving at each other na and it signalled na tapos na yung conversation ni Seongwoo with whoever that guy was. Nang pumasok na si Seongwoo sa loob, he was smiling.  
  
“Sino yun?” Daniel asked the moment Seongwoo was near enough to hear him. Di lang man niya hinintay yung best friend niya na makaupo.  
  
Medyo nagulat si Seongwoo but he seemed to have brushed off yung tinge of aggressive na tono sa tanong ni Daniel. “Si Minhyun. You met him na a, sa condo.”  
  
“Ha?”  
  
“Nung pumunta ka the other week, nakasalubong natin sa lobby. Pinakilala kita, di mo naalala?”  
  
Daniel shook his head. Di niya talaga maalala. Pero does it matter pa ba?  
  
“Ah, kapitbahay mo lang?”  
  
“Woah.” napangisi si Seongwoo. “Maka-tanong ka naman.”  
  
“Eh kasi di ko siya kilala! Ako best friend mo pero di mo kinukwento may ka-close ka na palang ganun,” paliwanag ni Daniel although he wasn’t really sure if genuine ‘tong rationalization niya sa inis niya. “Kesyo may pa-hawak sa arms, hawak sa waist, at pinch sa nose pa. Siya ba yung sinasabi mong gusto mo?”  
  
“Si Minhyun? Gusto ko?”  
  
“Diba may sinabi ka nung inuman natin na may gusto ka na? Siya ba yun?”  
  
Natameme nalang si Seongwoo. He had never seen his best friend na ganito mag-interrogate sa kaniya. And he’s surprised? Hindi niya ‘to in-expect. And he’s confused.  
  
“Teka,” sabi ni Seongwoo. Then lumapit siya kay Daniel habang nakatitig straight sa mukha nito. Napa-atras si Daniel ng onti. “Nagseselos ka ba?”  
  
Daniel blinked, then tinulak niiya si Seongwoo palayo. “Excuse me? Ako? Magseselos? Ganda ka?”  
  
Seongwoo grinned. Then hinawi niya yung bangs niya sabay fake ng irap. “Oo, bakit? Ganda ako.”  
  
“Maka-akusa to ng nagseselos akala mo tayo.” Umirap din si Daniel.  
  
Natawa si Seongwoo, and he couldn’t help it. He knew--it was obvious--na nagseselos ang best friend niya. Kahit sarili niyang emosyon di niya ma-figure out ng matino. Ibang levels ng manhid.  
  
“Bakit, di ba pwedeng maging tayo?”  
  
Daniel gave him an utterly disgusted look. “Umayos ka nga diyan! Hindi siyempre!”  
  
“Bakit hindi?”  
  
“Kasi…” Daniel trailed off. “Kasi best friends tayo”  
  
Humina yung boses niya and it felt like something heavy dropped at the pit of his stomach. He didn’t even like how he sounded. He was not convinced na it was the reason because it felt like it wasn’t actually the reason.  
  
Seongwoo, smiling, patted him on the shoulder. “Okay fine. Wait lang, CR lang ako.”  
  
  
  
  
Yung nakita ni Daniel kanina na interaction ni Seongwoo with Minhyun, it kept flashing in his head. He stared at his cup of coffee, its ice already melted. He sipped on it pero agad din niyang binaba yung cup. It tasted bad. Halong matabang na mapait. He didn't like it, tulad ng nararamdaman niya ngayon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Consulted real-life USTe people kaya po kahit taga-ibang Big 4 ako, I have a relatively good grasp now of the campus map so please congratulate me. Char.  
> 2\. Masakit ba? Kawawa ba si Daniel? O kawawa ako kasi affected din ako sa mga nangyayari sa kanila? Char 2.0.  
> 3\. Salamat po kay @kametoahiru ang aking dakilang partner in crime.  
> 4\. Again, narito po ang kanta ni Seongwoo kay Daniel for this chapter: https://youtu.be/3kX1JeNhpqA. Hashtag po natin for this chapter is #Big4AUBestFriend  
> 5\. Pwede niyo rin po ako bulabugin sa aking [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/myeontague).


	6. Final Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Game 3. Ateneo won. Masakit sa kalooban. Yung UAAP feelings nila just hit rock bottom. But not all bad things have to happen on the same day—or night. Minsan, may paraan si tadhana para mabawi ang lungkot at mapalitan ng konting saya at maraming kilig.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Medyo ma-drama po itong chapter na ‘to. Also a bit of surprise sa isa pang pair na di ko dinisclose sa above side pairs (wink wonk). Obviously ang hashtag po natin ay ang subtitle so it’s #BIG4AUFinalGame. Enjoy!

Isang araw, nakatayo si Sehun sa loob ng Araneta Coliseum, nakatakip sa bibig ang isang mahigpit na kamao. Whether it was out of surprise or because he was trying to hold back his tears, he wasn’t sure. Maingay. Sobrang ingay. Dumadagundong ang drums, at naghihiyawan ang kalahati ng coliseum. Sa harap nilang mga naka-green, nagsasaya ang mga naka-blue. At tulad ng mga katabi niya, wala silang magawa kundi tumingin at manuod.  
  
It was December 3 and Ateneo won the final game. It was difficult to see La Salle lose the championship, but for Sehun, it was a lot more painful to see his friends’ hearts break.  
  
Simula sa tunog ng buzzer hanggang sa pag-dumog ng mga reporters at cameramen sa parehong basketball teams, nakatayo lang si Sehun. The Green Archers had their own share of reporters, and he didn’t like—nope, he  _hated_  how they were shoving cameras up his friends’ faces when obviously they needed at least ample space for their emotions. Dun na sila sa Ateneo, tutal andun ang saya.  
  
Sehun wanted to go down. Gusto niyang lapitan si Johnny, his best friend—Green Archer’s team captain—and give him a hug because right now that’s the only thing Sehun could give him. But he probably needed to share his pain with his own team first. Kahit kating-kati na siyang bumaba, Sehun stopped himself.  
  
And then he saw Jeonghan. He wasn’t standing. He wasn’t hugging anyone. He was just sitting there sa bench, hunched over, his face buried on his palms, shoulders shaking. He was  _definitely_  crying. Seeing his best friend Johnny cry was painful, but finding Jeonghan on the side  _all by himself_  was a lot more heartbreaking than Sehun thought.  
  
“Hintayin natin sila,” Jongin tugged his shirt. “Sa labas.”  
  
Hindi alam ni Sehun kung papayag ba siya, lalo na’t nasa patron seats lang naman sila at he could go down anytime. But maybe Jongin was right, maybe they should let the team be first. Sila-sila muna magdamayan. Besides, it must be a lot more painful for them than for him.  
  
Jongin held his wrist and tugged him again. Then he craned his neck as if telling Sehun na they should leave at hintayin nalang sina Johnny sa exit. Sehun finally gave his yes. Wala rin namang magbabago kapag tumayo siya sa kinalalagyan niya ngayon. Kaya kahit labag sa kalooban niya, lumabas na sila.  
  
  
Sa exit, sa ibaba ng south gate ng coliseum, dun naka-abang sina Sehun at Jongin. Maraming tao. Muntik pa silang hindi papasukin if it wasn’t for one of the coaches seeing them, and letting them wait at least sa bungad. That would do, Sehun thought. Johnny and Jeonghan would see them from there. Maya-maya pa ay dumating na yung shuttle service, which meant na lalabas na rin yung basketball team. Una nilang nakita si Seungcheol na naka-akay kay Wonwoo, parehong namumugto ang mga mata. And then si Vernon. And then a few more na hindi masyadong kakilala ni Sehun. Then it was Johnny.  
  
Sehun and Jongin ran towards him. Napansin agad sila ni Johnny dahil sinalubong niya ang dalawa. Jongin was the first to hug him, and then Sehun.  
  
“You did well,” sabi ni Sehun. Johnny shook his head, and Jongin promptly patted him on the back. Sehun let Jongin comfort Johnny. He’s better than Sehun with words.  
  
Then from the corner of his eyes, Sehun saw Jeonghan. He was walking with a few more of his teammates, but he seemed like he was just alone. Nakayuko siya habang mabagal na naglalakad, and he was still crying. Pinunasan niya yung mukha niya ng kamay just as he was about to reach the shuttle.  
  
“Hey.” Yun ang unang nasabi ni Sehun. It wasn’t loud. It was more of a mumble, almost a whisper, but loud enough para tumigil si Jeonghan.  
  
Just as everyone else, namumugto rin ang mga mata niya. He looked extremely exhausted, as if ngayon lang humahabol yung pagod niya sa laro for the whole season. Sinubukan niyang ngumiti the moment he saw Sehun, but it was a futile attempt. He bit his lip and started tearing up.  
  
Sehun just did what he felt he needed to do: yakapin si Jeonghan. Mahigpit ang pagkakayakap niya habang hindi na napigilan ni Jeonghan ang sariling umiyak kay Sehun.  
  
“It’s okay,” bulong ni Sehun habang humagulgol ulit si Jeonghan. “It’s okay. Cry as much as you want.”  
  
When they broke, Sehun held him by the cheeks, looked at him in the eyes, and smiled. “Still a good game. I saw it. You were really great.”  
  
Jeonghan tried to smile at biglang napangiti si Sehun. “Wag mo piliting ngumiti. Ang panget mo.”  
  
“Sorry.” Hindi napigilan ni Jeonghan na matawa and suddenly the mood was lighter. “Pupunta ka?”  
  
He was referring to the victory dinner. They had it planned na sa resto nila Jeonghan as always. The place was decorated for a championship but then again, a silver medal is still a victory.  
  
Sehun nodded. “I’ll take Jongin’s car. See you?”  
  
Jeonghan nodded back. “Yes. See you.”  
  
Nagkatitigan silang dalawa and for a few seconds wala silang sinasabi. Then the slightly happy mood became awkward. Para bang naghihintayan sila kung ano next na gagawin—o kung may gagawin ba yung isa sa kanila. Sehun cleared his throat.  
  
“Ano...sige, I’ll meet Jongin na. Later?”  
  
Jeonghan chuckled although yung pagkamot niya ng ulo was an obvious sign na he was expecting something but got nothing and was disappointed. “Yeah. Sa shuttle na ako.”  
  
Habang naglalakad si Sehun, panay naman ang tingin niya sa likod as if binabantayan si Jeonghan habang pasakay to ng shuttle. Sa tabi ng bintana umupo si Jeonghan and he waved at Sehun. Siyempre kumaway naman si Sehun.  
  
“Pota, drama na clingy pa.” Napaatras si Sehun sa gulat. Si Jongin yun, naka-abang na sa kaniya sa hagdan paakyat ng parking.  
  
“Pakialam mo.” Kunwari nainis si Sehun pero ang totoo, kinikilig din siya.  
  
Jongin faked a shiver na parang nandidiri. “Feeling mo nasa drama kayo ganon.”  
  
“Whatever. Masama bang i-comfort yung tao? Nung cinomfort mo ba si Johnny feeling mo nasa drama ka rin?”  
  
“Ang point is at least it didn’t cross my mind to kiss Johnny.”  
  
Nahampas bigla ni Sehun si Jongin sa likod. “Pota!”  
  
“Tang’na ang sakit!” Pilit inabot ni Jongin yung part ng likod niya na pinalo ni Sehun habang natatawa. “Pero tama ako.”  
  
Hindi na sumagot si Sehun. Jongin saw right through him and he couldn’t say anything. Better nang walang sabihin. He won’t confirm, he won’t deny but then again, ano naman? Thank you Nadine for the words of wisdom.  
  
Kidding aside, Sehun can’t wait to reach the resto. Although he saw both of his friends smile, he still felt like he had to be with them soon. Not that they needed him (di naman siya feeling pa-importante), or that they could not handle their emotions well but Sehun wanted to let them know and see na he’s one of the many people willing to give them emotional support.  
  
Ganern.  
  
  
  
The resto was quite jampacked. Medyo marami sila ngayon unlike last time na sila-sila lang na pinaka-close sa team. There were the coaches, the whole of the Green Archers, some of their family members, and also yung close friends— _and boyfriends_.  
  
As expected andun si Ten and Seungkwan and they seemed a lot closer now than before. Sila pa nga yung magkatabi. Sehun wondered if they were forming their own team: Team GAB— _Green Archers’ Boyfriends_. Then biglang naisip ni Sehun na baka siya na yung next member. He tried his best na huwag kiligin. He failed.  
  
There was no program and it was quite informal. They only knew na the dinner was starting nung tumayo na si coach at nagsalita. He greeted everyone and then dumeretso nang magpasalamat sa effort ng team. Kahit halata sa boses niya yung disappointment na hindi nila nagawang mag-champion ulit, he was sincerely thankful sa effort ng lahat. He was positive throughout his speech and Sehun appreciated it. Lalo na’t down ang karamihan.  
  
Si Johnny yung next na nagsalita. Well, hindi siya nakapagsalita agad. In fact, bago pa man siya magsimula, tumalikod agad siya at naiyak. Lumapit si coach sa kaniya at tinapik-tapik sa likod. Then someone from the audience screamed, “Go Johnny! We love you!”  
  
Nagulat si Sehun nang biglang sumunod na sigaw si Jongin. “You can do it!”  
  
Nagsunod-sunod na yung cheers, and then palakpakan. Everyone was cheering for Johnny. Soon, Johnny stopped crying, or at least he got himself composed enough to say something. May paunti-unti pang singhot pero at least he was audible na.  
  
It was pretty much a reiteration of what the coach said, except this time ramdam ng tao yung closeness ng team. He thanked the members one by one although Sehun could only remember those he knew: Si Vernon, for being one of the most mature members ng team despite being the youngest, si Wonwoo for reminding him of the need to balance school and extracurricular activities (almost everyone knew he was running for latin honors), and si Jeonghan for being the ultimate source ng morale boost ng team, yung tipong kapag suko na silang lahat, siya yung “Let’s go team! Kaya pa ‘to!” every single time. Johnny even mentioned how he felt like Jeonghan was more of a team captain than him at which Jeonghan shook his head. Sehun looked at Jeonghan and they smiled at each other. He felt proud of course, but at the same time, he made sure na papagalitan niya si Johnny for thinking lowly of himself.  
  
Johnny also thanked Ten. He didn’t say why but everyone knew. The wolf whistles were enough to tell.  
  
The speech ended with a toast. “For next year’s championship!” Johnny cheered. Everyone followed. They actually yelled, and it was enough to lift up the mood. Sehun raised his glass of wine, did the toast sa mga katabi niya. Although medyo malayo si Jeonghan sa kaniya, he made sure na he acknowledged the other’s gesture.  
  
“ _For next year_ ,” Sehun mouthed.  
  
Tumango si Jeonghan sabay ngiti. “ _For next year._ ”  
  
  
  
The whole dinner ended a little late. Yung mga tito at tita nag-uwian na hanggang sa maiwan nalang ang expected na maiiwan for the after-party. Since that other night, Sehun called it the “Fuck-Kill-Marry” Gang. At totoo nga, sila sila nga lang ang naiwan except this time nadagdagan sila. Just as the dinner was about to end, may dalawang strangers named Mingyu and Joshua na dumating na sinalubong ni Wonwoo at Seungcheol. Johnny seemed to know them and so did the rest of the basketball team so Sehun assumed yun yung boyfriends nung dalawa. Tama siya.  
  
“Umamin ka.” Tumingin ng masama si Sehun kay Jongin habang tumutulong sila na linisin yung dining area. They need to rearrange the tables, too, for the after-party. “May boyfriend ka na rin ba?”  
  
Napataas ng kilay si Jongin sabay tawa. “Wala. Sira, kung meron man ikaw una makakaalam.”  
  
Tumango si Sehun. “Sabagay. Wala lang. Lahat ata ng andito may jowa. Tayo lang wala.”  
  
“You mean,” biglang sabat ni Jongin. “ _Ako lang_  ang walang jowa dito.”  
  
Sehun knew what Jongin meant. “Technically—”  
  
“Wag mo ako ma-techni-technically. You’re pretty much taken.” Jongin wiggled his brows sabay nguso sa direction ni Jeonghan na tumutulong sa staff ng resto na naghuhugas ng mga plato. The staff were even trying to stop him (“Sir, wag na po kami na,” Sehun heard them say) but Jeonghan insisted. Napanbuntong hininga si Sehun. Nope, domestic Jeonghan is not gonna make him blush.  _He’s not gonna blush_.  
  
“Whatever. Shut up.”  
  
Bumelat si Jongin.  
  
  
  
Thankfully, wala namang nag-ayang mag-laro ng “Fuck-Kill-Marry” this time. Walang nasa mood for that. But the mood lightened up way better than earlier, yung tipong parang di rin natalo La Salle. That’s the point naman ng after-party. To enjoy what they have achieved, not to dwell on their loss. Still, lahat gusto uminom, kwentuhan ng anything other than the game plus konting tuksuan lalo na’t apparently, ito pala ang unang beses na officially ipapakilala ni Wonwoo si Mingyu as his boyfriend, and the same with Seungcheol kay Joshua. Sehun remembered them. So sila pala yung nabanggit ni Johnny once na nililigawan ng dalawa from Ateneo. Well, he wouldn’t know. They came without a single bahid of Atenista. And of course dapat lang. Respeto nalang sa UAAP feelings nila diba?  
  
“Eh ikaw Sehun, kelan mo papakilala si Jeonghan as your boyfriend?” Biglang tanong ni Johnny na ikinahiyaw ng lahat. Naka tig-isang bote palang silang lahat ng beer pero kung maka-asta mga tao akala mo nakaka-tatlong case na sila. Napailing nalang si Sehun (kahit deep inside kinikilig siya).  
  
“O baka si Jeonghan dapat magpakilala?” Biglang singit ni Jongin. Sehun gave him the friend-umayos-ka look. It did not affect Jongin.  
  
“Grabe kayo.”  
  
Sabay na sabi ni Sehun at Jeonghan. Nagkatinginan sila sabay tawa ng lahat. Eventually, nalipat na ang usapan sa kung paano nagka-ligawan si Joshua at Seungcheol. Pero hindi maiwasan ni Jeonghan na sumulyap-sulyap kay Sehun, na minsan ay nahuhuli mismo ni Sehun. Not that he didn’t like it—he actually liked it—but it made him quite anxious and curious. May gusto bang sabihin si Jeonghan sa kaniya?  
  
Bigla siyang siniko ni Jongin sabay bulong. “Alam mo magusap nga kayo. Nakakairita yang pasulyap-sulyap niyo e.”  
  
“So bitter ka na niyan?”  
  
“Dahil best friend kita at excited akong magka-jowa ka na, hindi.”  
  
Hindi na umimik si Sehun. Fine. Later. Maguusap sila.  
  
  
  
Sa kanilang lahat, si Jongin ang first blood. He’s not the maingay kind of lasing pero ibang klase siya kung antukin. Nakasandal na siya sa likod ni Sehun, trying his best to stay up kahit halos nakasara na mga mata niya at paulit-ulit na ring bumabagsak ang ulo niya. And so they decided na iakyat si Jongin sa lounge. Si Sehun na nag-volunteer na sumama sa kaniya, although nahirapan din siya kasi he was basically dragging an almost already sleeping Jongin paakyat. Ihihiga lang niya si Jongin, hihintaying makatulog ng tuluyan, at saka siya bababa ulit to join the rest.  
  
Nang maipwesto na niya yung best friend niya sa isa sa mga couches, tinanggalan niya ‘to ng jacket at ito yung ikinumot niya rito. Natakot pa siya kasi pagkakuha niya ng jacket, nalaglag yung phone nito sa sahig. Buti nalang may carpet. When he picked it up, napansin niya na may mga unread messages si Jongin. Not that he was invading his best friend’s privacy pero naka-flash yung pangalan saka message.  
  
**_Chanyeollie ♥_**  
Text ka pag nakauwi ka na. Wag mag-lasing!  
  
Natigilan saglit si Sehun.  _Chanyeollie_. Hmm. Chanyeol? Diba yun yung team captain at ace player ng Ateneo na they all agreed was gwapo but they could not completely have the hots for kasi karibal nila? Hindi mabuksan ni Sehun yung phone dahil may passcode. Well, he might be wrong dahil pwedeng may ibang Chanyeol na kakilala si Jongin. But then...if he was right...pota, kelan pa? At paano nakilala ni Jongin si Chanyeol? At bakit may heart? Meron bang tinatago sa kaniya si Jongin?  
  
Wow. He couldn’t believe his best friend was betraying them. He’ll definitely interrogate him tomorrow.  
  
Tinabi na niya yung phone sa katabing table and then umupo sa kabilang couch. It was soft, and comfortable.  _Super_. Hindi pa completely tulog si Jongin dahil nagpapa-ikot-ikot pa ‘to. It shouldn’t be long naman before Jongin sleeps, he thought. So Sehun decided he’d rest here first habang nagbabantay. Yeah. Except that his rest became a two-hour nap.  
  
Sehun wasn’t sure if may nagising ba nang bigla siyang mapabalikwas sa paggising niya. Wala na siyang naririnig na ingay sa baba. Agad niyang inabot yung phone from his pocket and looked at the time. 2:36 AM.  _Shet_. Tumingin siya sa paligid. Jongin’s still fast asleep sa couch pero hindi nalang sila yung nasa taas. Sa bedding na nakalatag sa floor, tulog na rin si Johnny katabi si Ten. Nung inangat niya yung ulo niya to see kung sino yung nasa balcony, he was taken aback when he saw Seungcheol and Joshua making out. He made a mental  _oops, sorry_  because that wasn’t an intentional invasion of privacy.  
  
Pero bukas pa yung ilaw sa baba which meant that somebody was still there. He stood up and decided na bumaba. Well, he peeked first. Noticing na wala rin si Wonwoo and Mingyu, he assumed andun din sila sa baba pa. He couldn’t find any Wonwoo or Mingyu. He saw only one person: Jeonghan.  
  
Nasa table pa rin siya na pinaginuman nila kanina except that wala na yung mga beer. There were only a bottle of wine and a glass. Sehun wasn’t sure if dapat pa ba siyang bumaba. He felt strange, like a mixture of anxious and excited. Pero andun na siya, nasa hagdan. And he promised to be back. Tulog na yung mga kasama nila but Jeonghan was still there. Siya nalang magisa and that’s all the more reason kay Sehun para bumalik sa baba.  
  
“Hi,” panimula ni Sehun. Nagulat pa si Jeonghan dahil napahawak siya bigla sa dibdib niya. “Sorry.”  
  
“Akala ko tulog ka na,” Jeonghan said. He finished the remaining wine sa baso niya. “Why? Washroom? It’s over there.” He pointed at the washroom’s direction.  
  
“No. Napansin ko lang bukas pa ilaw so I decided to check kung sino pa andito.” Sehun was being honest naman. “Akala ko andito pa sina Wonwoo.”  
  
“They left earlier. Mingyu needs to go home e,” Jeonghan explained.  
  
“They weren’t drunk driving naman, were they?”  
  
“Nope. They’re good, don’t worry.” Jeonghan made a gesture telling Sehun to sit next to him. Di tumanggi si Sehun.  
  
“Want wine? Kuha ako ng isa pang—”  
  
“No, it’s okay.” Sehun took the offered seat. It was a safe distance; not too close, not too far. It shouldn’t be awkward. They’ve been to a date naman na and they’ve pretty much crossed each other’s personal spaces. Heck, he even kissed Jeonghan on the cheek.  
  
“So…” But still he didn’t know where to start.  
  
There was silence as Jeonghan gently swirled the wine in his glass. “You sure ayaw mo?”  
  
Sehun shook his head. “You know what,” he began. He looked at Jeonghan who was just staring at his glass. “You can cry.”  
  
At first walang reaction si Jeonghan. Then bigla niyang inubos yung natitirang wine sa baso at pagkababa niya nito, he took a deep breath, bit his lip and with furrowed brows and clenched fist, he cried.  
  
It was not the ugly, loud kind of cry but it felt just as painful. He had a hand over his eyes habang palakas ng palakas yung paghikbi niya. It was as if ngayon lang niya ulit ni-let go yung hindi pa niya completely naiiyak since they left Araneta.  
  
“Sorry,” he mumbled in between hiccups.  
  
“For what?”  
  
“We lost.”  
  
Inabot ni Sehun yung isang bakanteng kamay ni Jeonghan. “But you did your best. You shouldn’t be sorry for doing your best.”  
  
“I...I don’t even know.”  
  
Sehun tightened his hold. “You did. Promise, you did your best. I saw it. We all saw it.”  
  
Jeonghan didn’t say anything at di na rin nagsalita si Sehun. Wala na siyang ibang masabi dahil wala na rin siyang ibang maisip pa to comfort Jeonghan. Nang maramdaman niyang humigpit ang hawak ni Jeonghan sa kaniya as he cried more, he realized na baka nga wala na talaga siyang dapat pang sabihin. Maybe his company was enough. He slowly pulled Jeonghan to a hug, guiding the latter’s head onto his shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Sehun caressing his back as Jeonghan cried all his frustrations out.  
  
When Jeonghan pulled away, kinuha agad ni Sehun yung panyo niya sa bulsa at siya na nagpunas nung natitirang luha sa mukha nito. Jeonghan laughed.  
  
“Para kang tatay na nagpatahan ng bata,” he joked.  
  
“So okay ka na? Nagjojoke ka na.” Sehun said, smiling. Nang mapangiti rin si Jeonghan, Sehun felt quite happy and relieved.  
  
“Thank you.” Bumulong si Jeonghan, looking down when he realized they were still holding each other’s hands. “Lalo na nung sinalubong mo kami sa exit.”  
  
“Ah, that one.”  
  
Jeonghan nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know. It probably means not much to you but to me, it does. It means a lot.”  
  
Sehun could only smile. Hindi niya alam dapat niyang sabihin. Now that he’s thinking about it, there was no other reason sa pagsalubong niya sa kanila other than letting his friends know and feel that he’s there to share the emotion that would come whatever the ending of the game would be--in this case the pain of losing the championship to their rival school. He was genuinely worried, sad, and broken, too, but it was not until now that Sehun realized na yung simpleng empathy niya not only as a Lasallian but also as a friend mattered.  
  
“I’m glad.” Sehun said. Then he started rubbing the side of Jeonghan's hand. Ayaw pa niya bitawan.  _Hindi muna niya bibitawan_.  
  
Tahimik. Nakatingin si Jeonghan kay Sehun and Sehun hummed, as if asking if the other wanted to say something but he shook his head. Tumango si Sehun. It was as if they understood each other even in their silence.  
  
Nauna si Sehun. Lumapit siya, although he paused the moment he felt his head tilt. Nang makita niyang lumapit din si Jeonghan, he realized he shouldn’t hesitate. They were inching slowly, a huge contrast sa bilis ng tibok ng puso niya, at hindi na nagpigil pa si Sehun. It’s there, almost there. Until it  _finally_  happened.  _Sehun was kissing Jeonghan._  
  
Jeonghan’s lips were soft. There was also a tinge of wine. It tasted sweet. Perhaps making the kiss a lot sweeter.  
  
Hindi sila gumagalaw at hindi sure si Sehun if yun ay dahil tumigil ang oras sa kanila, o tumigil din ang pagikot ng mundo. At that moment, it felt like it was only him and Jeonghan--no one else. Kung gaano katagal nang magkalapat ang kanilang mga labi, hindi na alam ni Sehun. At hindi niya na rin binilang.  
  
Sehun tightened his hold of Jeonghan’s hand which he regretted. Si Jeonghan ang naunang humiwalay.  
  
“Uh…” Jeonghan broke the ice. “I didn’t expect that.”  
  
“Me too.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Nah. Hindi sila dapat awkward. Sehun straightened his back and looked at Jeonghan. “Kasi sabi mo next time sa lips na e.”  
  
Tumawa bigla si Jeonghan and that was probably the most genuine laughter Sehun’s heard from Jeonghan since last night. He liked it. He loved it.  
  
“So what does that mean?” Jeonghan asked. He was obviously referring to the kiss.  
  
Napa-shrug si Sehun. “I dunno. What does that mean to you?”  
  
“Yung totoo?”  
  
“Yung totoo.”  
  
Jeonghan hummed, kunwari nagiisip. He bit his lower lip, and it was out of genuine embarrassment. He hesitated but the mouth couldn’t betray the heart. “It meant na...na mahal mo ako.”  
  
Hindi alam ni Sehun saan ilalagay yung overflowing niyang nararamdaman. Hindi na siya dapat magtago pa. Napatingala nalang siya kasabay ng isang hindi mapigilang ngiti. “Na mahal kita.”  
  
“Yup. Na mahal mo ako.”  
  
Tumango-tango si Sehun.  
  
“So mahal mo ako?”  
  
“Yes,” Sehun finally spoke. “Mahal kita.”  
  
Jeonghan chuckled. “Can’t believe my worst basketball game can also be the best night of my life.”  
  
“Yung totoo though,” ani Sehun. “You can never have your worst game kasi you will always have your best win.”  
  
“And you mean?”  
  
“Me,” tinuro ni Sehun ang sarili niya. “I’m your best win.”  
  
Natawa si Jeonghan ulit. “Wala pa rin pala ako takas sa mga banat mo.”  
  
The gloom that hovered over them was gone, completely gone. It was a totally different atmosphere and they loved it. It wasn’t like he did it out of pity, or out of fear, or because he wanted to give Jeonghan a fake source of happiness just for the sake of making him forget about the finals game. Malandi siya pero hindi siya paasa. It was true, and he was genuine about it. Besides, he’s said it already. Mahal niya si Jeonghan, and di na niya ‘to pakakawalan.  
  
  
  
Time check, 5:39 AM. Wala pang gising sa mga kasama nila. When Sehun checked, tapos na rin sa makeout session si Seungcheol at si Joshua dahil tulog na sila sa kanina’y bakanteng bedding. Di na siya tumuloy at nag-stay nalang sila ni Jeonghan sa baba.  
  
“Ngayon ko lang na-realize,” simula ni Jeonghan habang binubuhos ang natitirang laman ng wine bottle sa baso niya. “Nung una kitang ma-meet talo rin kami.”  
  
Napaisip si Sehun. Jeonghan was right. It was when La Salle lost to FEU.  
  
“So what are you trying to say?”  
  
Jeonghan shrugged. “Ewan. Ikaw siguro nagpapamalas sa game ko.”  
  
“So ano, break na agad tayo?”  
  
“Joke lang. Ito naman.”  
  
Tumawa lang si Sehun.  
  
“Sehun.” Jeonghan called, sabay ng mahinang siko to fully get the other’s attention. Sehun hummed. Nang tumingin na siya, he felt the same soft lips he was kissing earlier. Just a peck, but equally sweet.  
  
“Grabe siya o,” ani Sehun sabay squint kay Jeonghan.  
  
“Wala lang. Just felt doing it,” Jeonghan said. If ibang tao gumagawa nito, Sehun would’ve cringed so hard. Pero di niya magawa because it was Jeonghan who did it to him. Pakshet, kinikilig siya.  
  
Same Sehun. Same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Happy anniversary JeongHun! ♥ #HappyJeongHunDay  
> 2\. Nakakapagod po mag-drama, mag-comedy, at mag-angst sa isang fic. Sana na-enjoy niyo! Comment if natuwa po kayo and you agree sa *otornim voice* “Same Sehun. Same.” Thanks.  
> 3\. Huwag po natin kalimutan ang hashtag na #BIG4AUFinalGame. Also, you can give me coffee po [here](https://ko-fi.com/myeontague). Salamat ulit!  
> 4\. Pwede niyo rin po ako bulabugin sa aking [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/myeontague)!


	7. Ikaw at Ako

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hindi mapigilan ni Daniel na magtampo. Kahit ilang beses niyang pigilan ang sariling tanungin si Seongwoo kung sino ba talaga si Minhyun, paulit-ulit pa rin niya ‘tong nababanggit. Siyempre, si Seongwoo tao ring nauubos ang pasensya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pasensiya na if this update took ages to happen pero finally it’s here! Pagamit po ng hashtag na #BIG4AUIkawAtAko. Maraming salamat po!

Isang araw, nakahiga si Daniel sa kaniyang kama, phone over his face. Naka-open ang screen sa isang Facebook profile. Meron lang silang iisang common friend—si Seongwoo—and he wasn’t surprised. He scrolled down and checked the photos.

“Hwang Minhyun. Gwapo siya a,” bulong ni Daniel sa sarili as he continued to look through the profile photos and the other public ones. Mukha siyang good boy, at kapag naka-white uniform siya nagliliwanag. Then as he scrolled down, he saw a picture of Minhyun and Seongwoo together. To say na he did not like it was an understatement. He _hated_ it.

And then bigla siyang napatakip ng bibig. He pushed himself up hanggang sa nakaupo na siya sa kama niya, phone still in his other hand, the screen still showing Minhyun and Seongwoo’s photo.

 _“Bakit ako naiinis?”_ Napakamot ng ulo si Daniel sabay sipa ng kumot. Nakatitig siya sa photo nang nakakunot ang nuo. Naka-akbay si Minhyun kay Seongwoo habang nakapaikot naman ang braso ni Seongwoo sa bewang ni Minhyun. Ang clingy. Ang sweet din. Pero kahit ganoon di talaga mapigilan ni Daniel na mapabuntong hininga habang pinipigilan ang di maipaliwag na pagsikip ng dibdib niya.

He exited the app and immediately went to Telegram. But before he could even press yung chat nila ni Seongwoo (which is pinned at the top), he left his thumb hanging over the screen of his phone. Dapat ba niyang tanungin talaga ang best friend niya tungkol kay Minhyun? Kung sino si Minhyun? Kung bakit close sila ni Minhyun at hindi alam ni Daniel?

Isa ulit buntong hininga. Then cinancel niya. Seongwoo reassured him the other day na friends lang talaga sila ni Minhyun. Kung nagseselos man si Daniel—which he wasn’t actually a hundred percent sure about pa—it’s because he is Seongwoo’s best friend and he just felt a little bit betrayed he didn’t know something about his best friend when Seongwoo knew everything about him naman. Humiga ulit si Daniel sabay hila ng kumot over his head.

“You’re just being petty,” he muttered to himself. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 

It’s a weekend nang mag-aya si Seongwoo sa condo niya na kumain at uminom. He has an extra weekend before the busy week begins so nilulubos-lubos na niya ang natitirang oras bago siya maghirap. As usual, they eat their favorite: beer and pizza. Manunuod din sila dapat ng movie kaso bago pa magsimula, naparami na agad sila ng inom.

Kapag medyo may tama na sila, sobrang clingy ni Seongwoo. Like _sobra_. Kahit silang dalawa lang magkasama, di talaga mahihiya si Seongwoo na umakbay kay Daniel, o kaya humawak sa kamay, o kumapit sa braso. Minsan humihiga pa siya sa lap ni Daniel. And Daniel didn’t really mind, too. They’re best friends and this was what best friends do. Yup. Kahit na minsan kapag pinapatong ni Seongwoo yung ulo niya sa balikat, hindi mapigilan ni Daniel na biglang makaramdam ng kakaiba. Di naman niya ‘to nararamdaman before: yung biglang bilis ng kabog ng dibdib, yung pagka-blangko ng utak, yung pag-pawis ng kamay, yung sudden stiffness sa pagkakaupo niya kasi ayaw niyang gumalaw—ayaw niyang matapos yung warmth ng ulo ni Seongwoo sa kaniya.

“Hoy,” bulong ni Daniel. Nag-hum si Seongwoo and Daniel felt the soft vibrations of his best friend’s voice sa kaniyang katawan. Whatever it did to him, he was unsure whether he should like it or not. “Tulog ka na?”

“Di pa.” Biglang umayos ng upo si Seongwoo. “Feeling mo tutumba na ako?” He smirked at Daniel sabay tapik sa kaniyang dibdib. He shook his head and said, “Nah-uh. Matibay ‘to.”

Daniel could only laugh. “Uy, may tanong ako,” he began.

Seongwoo hummed again.

“Curious lang,” Daniel began defensively. “May nagpapasaya ba sayo ngayon?”

Inangat ni Seongwoo ang kaniyang ulo from Daniel’s shoulder, to Daniel’s disappointment. Uminom ng onti si Seongwoo sa bote ng beer niya sabay tango. “Meron.”

Nagsimula nang bumilis ang tibok sa dibdib ni Daniel. “Ano?”

Ngumisi si Seongwoo. “Ano? Baka sino.”

Tumango-tango si Daniel, nakatingin sa half-empty na bote sa kamay niya. “O, sino?”

“Ikaw.”

Agad napatingin si Daniel sa best friend niya. Siyempre, yung heartbeat niya lalong naging erratic. Sabay nito yung hindi niya mapigilang ngiti. He liked the feeling. _He really liked it_. Inabot niya yung crumpled tissue sa tabi niya sabay bato kay Seongwoo. “Gago.”

Umiwas si Seongwoo habang nakangiti, yung tissue bumagsak sa hita nito. “Ayaw mo? Edi wag.”

“E ano nagpapalungkot sayo?” Follow-up ni Daniel dahil wala na siyang ibang maisip na isusunod sa conversation nila.

Seongwoo shrugged. “Ikaw rin.”

Daniel blinked. At first di niya alam ano sasabihin kasi from the best feeling ever, para siyang biglang binato from a plane pabagsak ng lupa without a chute. Ouch.

“Sira ka talaga ano?” Ani Daniel dahil what’s the best filler to your confusing emotions than to playfully insult your best friend diba?

Kinuha ni Seongwoo yung crumpled na tissue kanina at binato naman ‘to kay Daniel.

“E si MInhyun, sino siya para sayo?”

Every word rolled out of Daniel’s mouth before he could even properly—as in properly and rationally—think through them. But then hindi niya talaga mapigilan. No matter how hard he tried to ignore yung photo na nakita niya the other day sa profile ni Minhyun just kept on popping in his head,

Seongwoo’s change of expression showed na he didn’t like the question, or at least what it implied, as much as Daniel did. “So di pala tayo tapos diyan?”

The air felt heavy. Suddenly, pakiramdam ni Daniel unti-unti na siyang humihiwalay sa sarili niyang katawan. Out of hiya? Guilt? Ewan. Di niya sure.

“Sorry, pero—”

“How many times do I have to say na hindi nga kami?”

The tone in Seongwoo’s voice was clear—he was tired of it—and Daniel couldn’t blame him. Kahit si Daniel hindi na niya mabilang kung gaano karaming beses nang nilinaw ni Seongwoo kung ano mang meron sa kanila ni Minhyun. It has always been “Magkaibigan _lang_ kami.” Nothing less, nothing more.

“Sorry.” Yumuko si Daniel. “Naalala ko lang kasi yung photo niyo na magkaakbay.”

Napataas ng kilay si Seongwoo and he looked as if he was trying to recall kung ano yung photo na yun. When he shook his head, Daniel knew his best friend remembered it.

“Are you jealous? We do that, too. Nagaakbayan tayo. Nagyayakapan. Madalas natutulog sa iisang kama.”

“No, Seongwoo. I mean—”

“You mean what?” Napataas na ng onti ang boses ni Seongwoo. “That's just one photo, Daniel! Kulang nalang halikan kita. Di ka ba napapagod kakatanong?”

Daniel wanted to convince himself na it’s the alcohol talking pero every word Seongwoo said was just raw. At oo, napapagod din siya kakatanong pero hindi niya alam bakit ganito nararamdaman niya. Or probably he knew what he was feeling, he just didn’t understand why he was feeling it.

“I don’t know the right word. Maybe I’m jealous. As your best friend. Na meron akong hindi alam sayo. Na best friend kita pero di ko kilala si Minhyun. Maybe I just felt betrayed—”

Natawa bigla si Seongwoo. “ _Betrayed?_ Wow? Okay.”

“Bakit?”

“Actually ako dapat nagtatanong niyan e. _Bakit?_ ” Seongwoo snapped. “Bakit ka ba ganiyan? Boyfriend ba kita? Hindi naman diba? Ikaw na may sabi. Best friends lang naman tayo diba?”

Yung last question. It rang in Daniel’s ears and it felt loud, tipong nakakabingi. His mind went blank. Yes. Best friends sila. _Best friends lang sila._ Daniel couldn’t explain it. He didn’t like the sound of it. He hated it. Pero di niya alam bakit. It’s a fact, but it felt like there was something wrong with that fact.

Suddenly they were silent. And it was the most awkward and heavy silence. Ang hirap huminga.

Nakatitig si Daniel sa sahig. In his peripheral vision, nakita niya si Seongwoo na tinungga ang natitirang laman ng bote niya. Daniel stood up but Seongwoo didn’t even look at him.

“Sorry,” bulong ni Daniel. “I’m leaving. Good night.”

Lumabas si Daniel ng unit na wala ni isang salitang sinabi si Seongwoo.

 

Waking up to no Telegram message was weird. Walang memes. Walang all caps na tawa. Walang kung ano mang pwedeng mapagusapan. And just like every other feeling Daniel has had for the past days, he didn’t like it. Akala niya wala lang, tipong isang tulog lang okay na. Pero the moment he looked at his phone, void of any “Seongwoo” sa notifications, every single thing he said and heard last night came rushing back.

Ang bigat. Kahit gusto niyang bumangon hindi niya magawa. Hindi niya rin alam kung gusto ba niyang mag-almusal o hindi. Wala siyang ganang kumilos. He looked at his phone again. It’s a Sunday. Good. He didn’t have to move.

Pero ang bagal ng araw. He was restless kahit nanunuod ng TV, ng movie, habang kumakain, o kaya ay nagpapagulong-gulong sa kama. From time to time, he’d check on his phone, thinking whether or not he should apologize or not, but it probably was his pride if not shame kung bakit hindi niya magawang i-message si Seongwoo. Daniel grabbed one of his pillows and screamed into it. Nandiyan nanay niya. Di siya pwedeng marinig.

That night, roughly past midnight dahil hindi pa siya makatulog, he thought of the questions he asked Seongwoo.

_May nagpapasaya ba sayo ngayon?_

Daniel remembered Seongwoo's answer. _Meron_. Siya rin. Meron.

Ano? Baka sino.

Daniel sighed, his hand in the air above his face, staring at it. It was sure and clear. _Siya_. Si Seongwoo. But the second question mattered more. Sino ba nagpapalungkot sa kaniya? Daniel wanted to say—at least at that moment—na si Seongwoo rin. Kaso hindi. Dahil una sa lahat, wala naman talagang ginawang mali si Seongwoo.

Daniel massaged the back of his neck and hissed. _Ako._ It's him. It's his stupid brain and stupid feelings making a huge fuss out of a single photo.

He rolled on his side, hugging a pillow tightly. Susubukan niyang matulog kahit mabigat pa sa dibdib.

 

Seongwoo was also restless. He was supposed to arrive thirty minutes later pa pero hindi siya makali sa condo niya, and so he decided to stay at the nearest cafe na kahit alam niyang maghihintay pa siya. Every time the chimes ring, he would look at the door and hope it was the person he was waiting for.

The ice in his coffee was melted, and an almost untouched cinnamon roll sat idly on the table. Seongwoo heaved a sigh, lying on the backrest of his chair, eyes closed nang biglang may tumapik sa kaniya.

“ _Hey._ ”

It startled him—it was probably the coffee, kahit kakaunti palang ang naiinom niya.

“Tagal mo,” Seongwoo said quickly as soon as he recognized the face.

Minhyun smiled. “Traffic.”

Seongwoo rolled his eyes. “Traffic e pareho lang tayo ng condo.”

“Whatever.”

When Minhyun came back after taking his order, Seongwoo heaved another sigh.

“So si Daniel ‘to ano?”

Seongwoo wasn’t surprised Minhyun could easily discern. Of course. Who else can bring him to an episode of overly dramatic Sunday morning? Lalo na’t everything that happened last night was still fresh in his memory. Sana nalasing nalang siya para wala na siya naalala kaso he—well, they were too sober to even pretend that last night didn’t happen.

Seongwoo nodded slowly, as if defeatedly admitting na yes, sobrang affected talaga siya kahapon. “Kasalanan mo kasi e. Clingy mo.”

“Hala?”

“Oo. _Hala._ ”

“So,” Minhyun took a sip from his coffee. “Pinagseselosan niya ako?”

Seongwoo wasn’t sure if he liked how Minhyun was too quick to get the story with just only a few clues. Pero at least that saved him from retelling the whole thing which he didn’t quite want to do anyway.

“Nakita niya yung picture natin last sem, basta event niyo ata yun e,” summarized na kwento ni Seongwoo.

“Tapos nag-away kayo.”

Seongwoo nodded.

“Kayo ba?”

The question was so sudden nailuwa ni Seongwoo literally yung iniinom niya (buti nalang he wasn’t wearing white). Hindi na siya dapat nagugulat. Minhyun would always ask this every single time they meet—he knew about Seongwoo’s feelings for Daniel—but Seongwoo just couldn’t help na makaramdam ng quick and numerous shots of butterflies in his stomach. The thought of him _finally_ dating Daniel excites him a little bit too much.

“Hindi,” Seongwoo answered promptly.

Minhyun nodded with a grin. “Hindi _pa_.” He fixed his posture at yung pag-inhale niya ay sign na magsisimula na siya sa kaniyang half-sermon half-analysis ng affair na ito.

“He likes you,” Minhyun said like it was a matter of fact. When he saw Seongwoo open his mouth, he raised his index and shook his head. “I know I’ve been telling you this all the time but I’m pretty sure this isn’t false hope.”

“It is.”

“No.”

Di na sumabat pa si Seongwoo, and his silence was Minhyun’s cue to continue.

“Walang taong magseselos ng ganyan katindi if hindi ka gusto. I mean, come on, alam kong di ka manhid. Don’t tell me this hasn’t crossed your mind yet?”

Seongwoo wanted to shrug and lie but Minhyun was spewing truths right in his face. “I’ve thought of it.”

“Good,” Minhyun gave him a smile, a rather proud one kasi successful nanaman siya sa pagbasa ng takbo ng utak ni Seongwoo. “Do you think it’s time to confess?”

Seongwoo was glad he wasn’t sipping on his already bland iced coffee kasi malamang ay nasamid nanaman siya rito. “Gago ka?”

“Pota ako na nga ‘tong nagbibigay ng advice ako pa na-gago.”

They both laughed. “Wala lang,” Minhyun continued. “Wala lang. I mean, nagpaparamdaman kayo e. Well, more of ikaw lang. Kaso manhid talaga si Daniel.”

“Manhid nga siya.”

“See? Aminado ka naman diyan. So you might as well tell him things na straightforward. Malay mo he’d realize what exactly his feelings are for you kapag umamin ka na.”

Seongwoo bit on his lower lip, nakayuko, nakatingin sa natitirang yelo sa inumin niya. Natutunaw. Malamang ganyan din mangyayari sa kaniya kapag umamin na siya kay Daniel. Not that he was already convinced na he should do what Minhyun told him. But Minhyun knew what he was talking about. May boyfriend na siya, at yung boyfriend niya manhid din nung una. Pretty much what Seongwoo’s experiencing right now. But then, not all things will happen exactly the same. But then again, Minhyun also made sense.

Isang malalim at mahabang buntong hininga. Seongwoo was not obliged to decide right away. Pagiisipan niya ‘to ng maigi.

“Sefie muna,” biglang kinuha ni Seongwoo yung phone niya at binuksan ang camera.

“Labo mo,” Minhyun said. He posed as Seongwoo raised his phone to get them a selfie.

 

“Bakit parang nakipag-break ka na bago ka pa magka-jowa?”

Daniel was at the tambayan, nakatulala habang nakapatong ang baba sa dalawa niyang magkapatong na kamay sa ibabaw ng mesa. He raised his head and looked to his side. It was Minseok.

“Hi kuya.” He tried to be as jolly as he could possibly be pero hirap magkunwari. “Ikaw lang? Si Kuya Junmyeon?”

Ibinaba ni Minseok ang bag niya and sat next to Daniel. “May hiniram lang sa lib.”

Daniel nodded because he had nothing else to react.

 

“So…” Minseok trailed off nang biglang tumahimik si Daniel. It was unusual lalo na’t tuwing sila magkasama, madaldal si Daniel. “Anything you want to get off your chest?”

Daniel looked at him with hesitant eyes.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Minseok followed up. “Pero I know there’s something wrong.”

Tumango-tango si Daniel. “Si Seongwoo kasi.” _More of ako kasi_.

And he proceeded telling the story as concisely as possible. Minseok didn’t say anything; he just gave a sincere look the entire time. Minsan tumatango-tango pero attentively nakikinig sa kwento. He didn’t want to interrupt because all he wanted was to let Daniel feel better, if letting what he feels to someone known would help somehow, Minseok as “the kuya” was willing to do it.

“So ayun.” Daniel was a bit teary eyed nang matapos siya sa kwento niya. “I think I’m being irrational and possessive but I don’t understand why. I mean. I know I probably am the wrong here kaso…I don’t know. I hate it. And I feel bad for making Seongwoo feel bad about me or him being friends with Minhyun. Or with other people for that matter.”

Minseok hummed. “Can I be frank?”

Daniel blinked. “I don’t think I have a choice.”

Natawa si Minseok. “Don’t worry I’ll try my best not to be painfully too frank.” Umayos ng upo si Minseok, sighed, and began. “The good thing here is at least you know you did something wrong.”

Biglang napangisi si Daniel.

“Bakit?”

Daniel shrugged. “Nothing. I was expecting worse. Ang bait mo pa rin kuya kahit prangka ka na.”

Minseok laughed. “Sabi sayo diba I’ll try my best.” When Daniel nodded, tinuloy na niya yung sasabihin niya. “Pero going back. Alam mo may di ka maamin e.”

Napataas ng kilay si Daniel. It felt like it’s going to a direction na sobrang tagal na niyang iniiwasan kaso mukhang wala rin namang ibang patutunguhan so dederetso’t dederetso rin sila run. Bumilis ang tibok ng puso ni Daniel.

Nakatitig sa kaniya si Minseok. “Tama ba ako?”

Nang hindi sumagot si Daniel, nagpatuloy si Minseok. One last question. “I mean correct me if I’m wrong but...I just feel...are you scared of taking it a step further?”

Surprisingly, Daniel wasn’t taken aback. It was a question he expected not exactly to come from Minseok but at least from somebody--anybody--who knew him. In fact, matagal na niyang tinatakasan yung tanong. Ngayong nasa harap na niya, he knew the answer but he just wasn’t sure if he can say it out loud.

“You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.” Minseok patted him on the shoulder, lips curled to a reassuring smile.

“Okay lang kuya,” Daniel said. “Actually...I am.”

Lalong napangiti si Minseok tapos mamula-mula na ang pisngi. Maya-maya pa ay napapa-giggle na ito. Nanlaki mata ni Daniel. Hala, anong nangyayari sa kuya niya?

“Sorry,” ani Minseok. He shook his hand as if saying na wag ito pansinin ni Daniel. “Wala lang. Kinikilig ako. Alam mo, bagay kayo.”

“Kuya Minseok naman e!” Pinaghahampas ni Daniel si Minseok sa braso.

Nang matigil na si Daniel, agad sumingit si Minseok. “Diba sabi ko sayo dati sa best friend lagi nagsisimula?”

“Kaso…”

“Kaso natatakot ka?”

Now that’s Minseok getting a little too frank. Walang nagawa si Daniel kundi um-oo.

“You met Kyungsoo na ano, yung boyfriend ni Junmyeon?”

“Yes. Why?”

“They were best friends,” kwento ni Minseok. “High school best friends. Naging sila after graduation. Umamin si Junmyeon, tapos umamin din si Kyungsoo.”

“I’m not sure if that helps but that’s sweet and nice.”

Natawa si Minseok. “My point is walang mangyayari kung wala kang gagawin. Also, at this point, you know, you just have to admit it e. Kahit sa sarili mo muna.”

“Yeah, I know,” bulong ni Daniel. “Salamat kuya.”

“Also ulit,” pahabol ni Minseok sabay akbay kay Daniel. “I really think he’s in love with you, too.”

Biglang hinampas ni Daniel si Minseok sa dibdib. “Ayan ka nanaman kuya e! Pa-false hope.” He’s not gonna lie though, kinilig siya run.

Tumayo si Minseok at kinuha ang bag niya. “O pagnilay-nilayan mo muna pinagusapan natin a? Mukhang nilamon na ng library si Junmyeon. Balikan ko muna siya.”

Nakangiting nagpaalam si Daniel sa kaniyang paboritong kuya sa campus. Best human being to ever exist talaga.

 

Pagkauwi ni Daniel ng hapon, dumeretso siya sa kwarto niya. Ang hirap kapag maraming feelings, ang daling mapagod. Kaya ito siya, nakahilata with his phone above his face again. He was scrolling down his Instagram feed nang biglang lumabas ang post ni Seongwoo from yesterday. How come he didn’t see it? More of...how come Instagram didn’t notify him? Naka on naman yung notifications niya kay Seongwoo ah? Oh well. That didn’t matter na because as soon as he saw who’s in the photo, bigla nanaman siyang na-overwhelm ng emotions.

Seongwoo was with Minhyun. Sa Starbucks Katipunan. His caption said, “Thanks for being the other good friend.”

Daniel would be lying to himself if sasabihin nanaman niya sa sarili niya na hindi siya nagseselos. Dahil ang totoo, selos na selos siya. But this time at least he was rational. Aside from he knew na Seongwoo was telling the truth about Minhyun being his friend _lang_ , he’s somehow accepted why he’s feeling this way. So no, he wouldn’t be super petty about a picture for the second time.

What Daniel did instead was open his Telegram account, went to his conversation with Seongwoo, and typed a “Hi.” He pressed the send button. Then huminga siya ng malalim. He checked the time 4:47 PM. Mamaya pa ulit 6:00 PM ang class niya so he could be having a break right now. Seongwoo may or may not reply.

The former happened.

“ _Yo._ ”

Ramdam ni Daniel ang biglang pag-talon ng puso niya sa dibdib. His hands suddenly became clammy and he was nervous. What the hell Kang Daniel? Kumalma ka.

“Found a cute song. Pakinggan mo. Wait.” Daniel sent it and looked for the song he wanted to share. He listened to it the other day but he forgot to mention it kay Seongwoo which he thought was a good thing. He just wanted to talk to him--he missed him na--and he thought this could be an ice breaker.

When he found the song, he copied the link and pasted it on the chatbox. Tapos send. He waited for the preview to appear. Lumabas yung two check marks sa gilid. Seongwoo was still online. Then sumunod yung song preview.

_https://open.spotify.com/track/3HiU04gRcSVtMOgqF1bJ3F?si=OUMyu5ZKQjmEXa0Lf0CynQ_

**Spotify**  
**Ang Galing Mong Chumupa**  
Ang Galing Mong Chumupa, a song by Cue C on Spotify

Nanlaki ang mata ni Daniel sa nakita niya. Sa sobrang gulat, napa-upo siya sa kama.

“ _Pota! Wait!_ ” Agad niyang sabi. “ _Hindi yan!_ ”

Seongwoo was typing. “ _HAHAHAHAHAHAHA TANGINA KANG DANIEL ANO YAN_ ”

Di rin napigilan ni Daniel na matawa. Pakshet. Ano ba ‘to? Akala niya na-copy niya ng maayos yung kanta. Shet. Siyempre yung unang usapan pa talaga nila after nila magaway pinahiya pa niya sarili niya ano? Hinanap niya ulit yung kanta.

_https://open.spotify.com/track/6OXOtj823ujku9BLSewKLA?si=RwkUWkpbTgeOiGJJTHTVfA_

**Spotify**  
**'Pag Siya**  
'Pag Siya, a song by Donnalyn Bartolome, Shehyee on Spotify

“ _Ayan kasi!_ ”

“ _Donnalyn? Really?_

“ _Basta! Pakinggan mo nalang!_ ”

“ _LOL Mas gusto ko pakinggan yung una_ ,” sagot ni Seongwoo.

Natawa si Daniel pero hindi na siya nagreply pa. Okay na yun. Na-break na niya yung ice. Di naman talaga niya sadya yung una niyang nasend na kanta. Pakshet. Bakit ba kasi di niya nabura yung clipboard niya? Ayan tuloy. Pero ayun nga. Chill na siya ng slight.

A few seconds later, bago pa maitabi ni Daniel ang phone niya, biglang nagmessage ulit si Seongwoo.

“ _May naiwan ka palang libro sa condo. Daanan mo bukas._ ”

Napakapit sa dibdib si Daniel. Hala, wait lang. Agad agad? Wala naman siya pasok bukas. Seongwoo knew that’s probably why he told Daniel na kunin yung gamit bukas. Pero wait, parang di sila kakagaling lang sa tampuhan a? Ready na ba siyang magkita sila ulit?

Huminga siya ng malalim. _Okay lang yan, Daniel. Wala kunwaring malisya. Okay lang yan_.

“ _Okay sige_ ,” he replied.

 

Dumating sa condo si Daniel ng halos ten ng umaga. Sinadya niyang ma-late dahil alam niyang late din nagigising si Seongwoo. Also, dumaan pa siya sa Chooks To Go. Kelangan niya ng peace offering. Kahit mukhang okay na sila ni Seongwoo, Daniel wanted some closure naman sa tampuhan nila. Affected siya ng todo e so gusto niya magkaayos at magkalinawan sila.

Pagpasok na pagpasok niya ng lobby, ang sumalubong sa kaniya ay si Minhyun na nakapambahay. Of course, of course. Same condo nga pala sila ni Seongwoo. Pero hindi si Seongwoo ang kasama ni Minhyun to Daniel’s surprise. He’s with another guy. Magka-holding hands sila. Daniel did not recognize the other guy. Di na siya nagtago pa dahil bago pa man siya makarating sa elevators, nakita na rin siya ni Minhyun.

As he waited for the elevators, kita niya from the windows na nagpaalam si Minhyun sa other kuya and he kissed him on the lips. There was a soft pat sa likod and then the other kuya was gone. Daniel blinked. _So may jowa si Minhyun?_

Tinignan ni Daniel kung nasaang floor na ang pinakamalapit na elevator. 18. Matagal pa bago dumating sa ground. Maaabutan siya ni Minhyun. Shet. Awkward. _Dali, dali. Dumatng ka na_ , bulong niya sa sarili. Thankfully, before pa niya maaninag ang anino ni Minhyun, bumukas na ang isang elevator. Agad sumakay si Daniel. Siya lang mag-isa. He pressed 25, yung floor ni Seongwoo, and then the close doors button. Pero may humarang na kamay. Tumingin siya kung sino.

Si Minhyun.

“Hi.” Nakangiti siyang pumasok.

Daniel bowed his head. Minhyun pressed 14.

“Kang Daniel, right?” Minhyun asked as soon as gumalaw ang elevator.

Tumango-tango si Daniel. “Yes.”

“Cute ka.”

Daniel raised his brows and then chuckled. Wow. May ganitong landiang ganap. “Thanks. And you are?” Kunwari di niya kilala.

“Minhyun. Friend ako ni Seongwoo,” he answered although there was something sa tone niya na parang he knew Daniel was pretending he didn’t know him. He looked at the Chooks to Go bag na dala ni Daniel. “You going to visit him?”

“Yeah.”

Then they fell silent. It wasn’t too long naman kasi mabilis ang elevator at agad tumigil sa fourteenth floor. “Dito na ako,” Minhyun said as he expected the doors to open. Nang bumukas na, he looked at Daniel again. “Good luck a?”

Daniel was confused. _Good luck? Para saan?_ Before he could even say anything, the doors closed and the elevator started moving. He ignored it nalang until reached the unit. He knocked on the door and a Seongwoo in a plain white shirt and blue boxer shorts welcomed him. Magulo pa yung buhok, halatang kakagising lang kani-kanina.

“Breakfast?” Daniel said sabay angat ng Chooks to Go.

“Uh, kumain na ako pero I won’t say no to chicken,” sagot ni Seongwoo.

When he entered, ramdam pa rin ni Daniel yung awkwardness. Actually, pagpasok niya, nakita pa niya yung mga bote ng beer na ininom nila nung Sabado. He sat on the sofa, looking around habang inaayos ni Seongwoo yung chicken sa plato, as if he missed the place a lot. Well, actually he did but not as much as he missed the owner. He sighed.

“Nakita ko pala si Minhyun.” Agad napatingin si Seongwoo sa sinabi ni Daniel, the same look he gave when the name was dropped last weekend.

“Saka yung boyfriend niya,” agad na habol ni Daniel. “Or well, I assumed his boyfriend kasi they kissed sa lips.”

Walang sinabi si Seongwoo but he was still staring at Daniel, hands frozen on the paper bag.

Nakayuko lang si Daniel, umiiwas sa tingin ni Seongwoo. He wouldn’t say he didn’t like it, but it felt weird and heavy. Unti-unting humapdi ang pisngi niya.

“ _Sorry_.”

Hindi na niya napigilan ang sarili at naluha. It surprised him. He didn’t even know why he was crying--he just felt like...he needed to. His shoulders started to shake, at kahit anong gawing yuko pa niya, hindi na niya matago kay Seongwoo na umiiyak siya.

“Huy,” biglang sabi ni Seongwoo. “Hala siya.”

Agad lumapit si Seongwoo at pinatong ang kamay sa balikat ni Daniel. “Huy, bakit ka umiiyak?”

Di makapagsalita si Daniel. Umiling-iling lang siya.

For a moment, di alam ni Seongwoo ang gagawin. Hindi siya sure kung dapat bang ituloy lang niya yung pagayos ng manok at hayaan lang muna si Daniel, or if tatabi lang siya kay Daniel at patatahanin. _A, bahala na!_

Agad niyang niyakap si Daniel. It probably wasn’t the best thing to do if ang goal niya ay patahanin si Daniel dahil lalo lang itong umiyak nang yakapin niya, but he thought siguro mas okay na ‘to? Ubusin na niya yung iyak niya. He’d feel better. They’d feel a lot better.

“Okay lang. Promise,” bulong ni Seongwoo habang hinihimas ang likod ni Daniel. “Sorry rin.”

Daniel only nodded at nagsimula na siyang tumahan. At that point humiwalay na rin sa yakap si Seongwoo.

“May panyo ka?”

Tumango ulit si Daniel at kinuha ang panyo sa bulsa. Pinunasan niya ang mukha niya.

“Ang sabi ko punta ka rito para kunin libro mo, hindi umiyak,” pabirong sabi ni Seongwoo.

Napangiti nalang si Daniel. At least they’re back to normal.

 

After completely mahimasmasan si Daniel at nagsimula na silang magpapak ng lechon manok, napuno na ulit yung condo ni Seongwoo ng kwentuhan. It was as if isang buwan silang hindi nagkita pero kung tutuusin, dalawang araw lang naman silang hindi nagpansinan. Kung saan-saan na napunta ang usapan, pati yung maling kanta na nasend ni Daniel sa telegram, pinatugtog pa nila. Daniel also insisted playing the Donnalyn Bartolome song kahit ayaw ni Seongwoo.

Habang tumutugtog, naalala ni Daniel yung dapat itatanong niya na naisip niya kanina sa elevator. “Diba sabi mo dati meron ka nang gusto? I mean, you already have a person you like?”

Seongwoo hummed sabay ng mabagal na pagtango. “Bakit?”

 

“Well,” patuloy ni Daniel. “Obviously hindi na si Minhyun. So sino yun?”

Natawa si Seongwoo sabay iling. “Bakit gusto mo malaman? Para may bago kang pagselosan?”

“Sira ka talaga!”

Tumawa ulit si Seongwoo. “Sasabihin ko sa’yo in…” Tumingin si Seongwoo sa phone niya. “In fifteen minutes.”

Tumingin din si Daniel sa phone niya. It’s 11:55 AM. “Ang arte? Bakit fifteen minutes pa, pareho lang naman kung sasabihin mo ngayon.”

Seongwoo shook his head. “Basta! Mamaya, 12:10. Check mo phone mo.”

Hindi na rin nagpilit si Daniel. If two days nga nagawa niyang maghintay na ma-figure out yung feelings niya at maglakas loob kausapin si Seongwoo, fifteen minutes pa kaya.

Di rin namalayan ni Daniel ang paglipas ng oras. Tapos na sila kumain at nakahilata na si Seongwoo sa kama niya. Si Daniel naman, naka-upo sa sahig. Pareho silang naka-titig sa phone habang nagpapatugtog ng mga Iñigo Pascual songs sa Spotify.

Habang nagii-scroll siya sa feed niya, bigla niyang naalala yung 12:10 promise ni Seongwoo. Sakto na kaka-palit palang ng minuto from 12:09.

Daniel refreshed his feed. Ito ang lumabas.

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/54895584@N06/28120586328/in/dateposted-friend/)

Ang lakas ng kabog sa dibdib ni Daniel. Dahan-dahan siyang tumingin kay Seongwoo na nakahiga pa rin sa kama niya, nakatitig sa phone.

Nakangiti.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. For everyone’s info, this is the second to the last chapter ng OngNiel arc! So ending na po ang next chapter natin.  
> 2\. Would be really happy if you will leave comments! I live for comments po lalo na if nagustuhan niyo siya.  
> 3\. Ito po ang ating theme song of the chapter: [Ikaw at Ako](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuhlKAfZYyQ) by Iñigo Pascual. May playlist kaming gagawin at the end of the fic series. Pakiabangan po siya!  
> 4\. Again, maraming salamat sa aking dakilang gabay, @kametoahiru. Also, wag po nating kalimutan ang hashtag, #BIG4AUIkawAtAko.


	8. Bumibigay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakasimula palang ng klase. Dahil wala pa namang ganap sa acads, nilubos na nila ang kanilang free time. Beer, pulutan, a spacious penthouse, at isang barkada na may kumpletong love life. Perfect weekend with a tinge of tuksuan, landian, at...halikan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pasensiya na at natagalan sa update! Ang atin pong hashtag ay #BIG4AUBumibigay (I love reading your reactions po promise). Also, if nag-enjoy kayo sa mga kaganapan, sobrang ia-appreciate ko po if magco-comment kayo. Salamat!

Isang araw, magkasama ang ating tatlong bida, nakatambay habang naghihintay sa kanilang mga susunod na klase. It’s just the first week and halos lahat ng klase nila early dismissal. So ito sila, nasa lobby, enjoying the cool breeze habang hindi pa nawawala. Nakaupo si Sehun sa floor, habang nakahilata naman si Jongin, nakapatong ang ulo sa hita ni Sehun habang nagbabasa ng libro. A few minutes earlier, may dumaang couple of girls na nakatingin sa kanila, tumatawa.

“Feeling ata nila mag-jowa tayo,” ani Sehun.

Binaba ni Jongin yung libro na nakatakip sa mukha niya. “Wala ako pake di naman kita jowa.”

Tumawa si Sehun. “Wow, so feeling mo may paki ako? Kadiri ka a, feelingero.”

“Saka may jowa ka na.” Biglang pinoke ni Jongin ang tagiliran ni Sehun, sabay ng bulong ng “ _Jeonghan_.” Siyempre nakiliti ng onti si Sehun although may halo ring kilig. Pakshet ‘to si Jongin a.

“Stop it nga!” Hinampas ni Sehun si Jongin at tumigil naman agad ito sa pag-poke. Tumingin siya sa wrist watch niya. Mga fifteen minutes na rin pala silang nakatambay. “Asan na ba si Johnny, ang tagal naman?”

Sinara na ni Jongin yung hawak niyang libro and he stood up, sabay stretch ng onti kasi medyo nakakangawit yung humilata sa sahig. “Ayan na, speaking of the devil.”

“Hey,” bati ni Johnny sabay apir sa kanilang dalawa.

“Natagalan? Saang CR kayo nagtago para di mahuli?” Tanong ni Jongin. Hindi agad na-get ni Sehun. Si Johnny naman agad na pinagsisipa si Jongin.

“Gago ka,” natatawang sabi ni Johnny. “Hinatid ko lang si Ten. Tapos na klase niya.”

Napatingin sa orasan ulit si Sehun. “Wow, wala pang lunch time?” Johnny just gave him a shrug bago umupo sa tabi.

“Anyway,” simula niya as soon as he was settled. “Nagaaya pala sila ng walwal bago officially magsimula yung sem.”

Nagkatinginan si Jongin at Sehun. “The sem’s officially started, Johnny.” Jongin said with raised brows. “Also sinong sila?”

“I know!” Nakangiting sabi ni Johnny. “I mean like bago pa maging toxic ‘tong sem. And sila...ano…”

Nagsimulang malunod ang boses ni Johnny, earning another set of raised brows from Sehun and Jongin.

“You mean by sila, _ikaw_.” Sehun said like it was a matter of fact. Obvious naman. If Johnny was referring to his basketball team, it would be weird if ayain nila sina Sehun at Jongin dahil hindi naman nila ka-super close yung mga yun. Also, Johnny liked to drink.

“Bakit, hihindi ba kayo?” Biglang tanong ni Johnny. Well, he had a point. Di rin naman tatanggi yung dalawa.

“Kelan ba?” Tanong ni Sehun.

“This weekend,” mabilis na sagot ni Johnny. “Also, required na may plus one.”

Nanlaki mata ni Jongin. “Teka...sure ka?”

“Baka nakakalimutan mo sino plus one ng kaibigan mo,” sunod ni Sehun. They were referring to Chanyeol na Team Captain ng Ateneo. Siya, kasama ang isang buong batalyon ng Archers?

“Maka-react kayo para namang ihe-hazing natin si Chanyeol! Chill lang.” Tinapik-tapik ni Johnny si Jongin sa balikat.

Jongin gave him an unsure look. “Promise?”

Tumango si Johnny. “Saka di naman kami mortal enemies! Ano ba.”

“Wala lang.” Nag-shrug si Jongin. “Siyempre concerned lang. Boyfriend ko yun e.”

Napasigaw si Sehun sa halong inis at kilig habang nag-shiver naman si Johnny bigla. Natatawa lang si Jongin.

“Pero G?” Tanong ni Johnny nang mahimasmasan na silang lahat.

“G.” Sabay na sabi ni Sehun at Jongin.

“Oh wait, Sehun,” biglang singit ni Jongin. “Not sure if nakita mo na ‘to or nabanggit na ni Jeonghan pero have you seen this article?”

Pinakita ni Jongin yung phone niya kay Sehun na agad naman nitong kinuha at binasa. The title went, “NEW HOTTIES: Faces to look forward to in the next UAAP Season.” Napataas ng kilay si Sehun as he scrolled down. First, the Ateneo faces, some of which kakilala niya. Then it’s his school. La Salle. The first name he saw was _Yoon Jeonghan_. Nagulat siya. He felt weird seeing his boyfriend’s face in an article but at the same time, he’s proud?

“Nah, it’s my first time seeing this. Also baka di pa niya nakikita?” Sabi ni Sehun. Magkausap naman sila ni Jeonghan kagabi so dapat nabanggit niya na ‘to if nakita niya na. “Kikitain ko naman siya later. In fairness ah.”

Jongin shrugged. “Sabagay. So proud boyfriend ka na niyan?”

Hindi sumagot si Sehun. Nangiti lang siya at napailing. Halata naman sa sudden red cheeks niya na kinilig siya. “Tara na nga! Lunch na!”

 

Nakatambay si Sehun sa isang nearby cafe, waiting for Jeonghan. Wala pa naman siyang klase hanggang hapon so he might as well meet with his boyfriend na. Also, obligatory first meeting with boyfriend on the first day of class. Another also, Jeonghan was supposed to meet a friend here kasi may hihiramin daw na libro. From UST. Okay lang.

“Hey,” bati ni Jeonghan as soon as dumating siya. He reached for one of Sehun’s hand na nasa table sabay himas. Di naman sila ma-PDA na couple pero it’s in Jeonghan’s nature. You know, _Libra_. 

Sehun just smiled back. Napabuntong hininga si Jeonghan.

“O bakit parang pagod na pagod ka?”

Kinuha ni Jeonghan yung phone niya and then sabay pakita ng isang screenshot. Sehun knew what it was. Kakakita lang niya nito kanina. Ito yung article na pinabasa sa kaniya ni Jongin.

“Ah, yes. Pinakita ni Jongin sakin kanina,” paliwanag ni Sehun. “Congrats a? Cute mo jan.”

Yung dapat ikukunot ng noo ni Jeonghan, biglang nawala. Siyempre kinilig siya run sa “ _Cute mo jan_.” Bet pa rin talaga niya mga banat ni Sehun.

“Thanks,” sagot niya. “Pero kasi! Wait. Dahil diyan sa article na ‘yan.”

Sumipsip si Sehun sa iniinom niyang kape. “O bakit, anong meron?”

“Ang daming nagpapa-picture sakin dahil jan!”

Napataas ng kilay si Sehun habang dahan-dahang nangingiti. Then all of a sudden natawa nalang siya. “Yung totoo?”

“Nakakapagod kaya!” Umayos ng upo si Jeonghan then he began rummaging his bag for his wallet. “I was stopped God knows how many times on my way to class.”

Sehun shook his head, still smiling. “Did you like it?”

“What?”

“I mean you don’t normally get featured in a national feature article with your face plastered for everyone to see?”

This time, si Jeonghan na ang natawa. “Oy, nagseselos ka ba?”

Sehun raised his brows again. “Oy, grabe? Ako magseselos? Excuse me.”

“So…” Iniisa-isa ni Jeonghan yung bills niya sa wallet niya. “Okay lang sayo na magpa-picture ako with fans? Ang touchy pa naman nila. Yumayakap. Umaakbay.”

Natigilan bigla si Sehun. Then naimagine niya si Jeonghan being clingy with every person in La Salle taking pictures with him. He didn’t like it but then Jeonghan’s been a school celebrity so di na siya dapat magulat. He composed himself. Hindi siya nagseselos. _Hindi siya nagseselos_.

“Bakit, nahalikan ka na ba nila?”

Well, that was an effective comeback dahil natigilan si Jeonghan at napakagat ng labi, probably because the scenes of them kissing sa resto the other month flashed in his head. Kahit naman si Sehun napangiti nang bigla niyang mabanggit.

“Eh...paano kung may umagaw ng halik?”

Agad kinuha ni Sehun yung bread knife sa table. “Kita mo ‘to? It’s kind of dull so mas masakit ‘to humiwa.”

Natawa ng malakas si Jeonghan. He then stood up and went to the counter. (“Oorder na nga ako before you start stabbing people.”) 

When Jeonghan came back with his orders, nag-kumustahan sila on their first day of class. As usual, nothing particularly special except of course sa mga biglang nagpapa-pic kay Jeonghan. And then andiyan yung puro early dismissals. Not that they were expecting full lessons agad. That would have been a huge bummer.

“Oh, what’s that?” Tinuro ni Sehun yung makapal na libro sa loob ng bag ni Jeonghan.

“Ah, yes. Hihiramin ng friend ko,” Jeonghan explained. “That’s why we’re meeting him.”

“ _You_ are meeting him. Di ko siya kilala.” Sehun said.

“Minhyun. That’s his name,” ani Jeonghan. “Ngayon kilala mo na. He’s a high school buddy.”

They didn’t wait that too long naman kasi dumating din naman agad si Minhyun. He’s tall, good looking. Mukha ring mabango. Same impressions nang unang makita ni Sehun si Jeonghan. Puro ganito ba high school friends ni Jeonghan? Pagkakatanda ni Sehun si Seungcheol din ka-same high school ni Jeonghan. Ano ba high school niya, Ouran?

“Hi!” Bati ni Minhyun, tapping Jeonghan on the shoulder. Jeonghan stood up and hugged him.

“Hey, kumusta? Oh by the way,” ani Jeonghan. “Minhyun, this is Sehun.”

“Hello. Nice to meet you,” bati ni Minhyun, extending his arm for a handshake.

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Sehun took Minhyun’s hand. Wow pak. Lambot.

“So...siya ba yung crush na sinasabi mo sakin?” Biglang sabi ni Minhyun. Nanlaki ang mata ni Jeonghan as if Minhyun just spilled a huge-ass secret. Not that it surprised Sehun. Sila naman na. But still, it was funny and it felt funny. Di niya mapigilang kiligin.

“Shut up,” natatawang sabi ni Jeonghan. “Di ko na siya crush.”

“Why?”

Jeonghan and Sehun looked at each other, exchanging meaningful smiles. Minhyun stared at them. And it was a light bulb moment.

“Oh. _OH!_ Okay, okay. I get it. Nice. Nice.” He jabbed Jeonghan lightly on the side, causing the latter to flinch a bit. Sehun chuckled although he began noticing kung gaano ka-touchy si Minhyun sa boyfriend niya. Nako a.

Jeonghan handed Minhyun the book—it was literally the biggest and thickest book Sehun has seen so far, tangina (napaisip pa nga siya if may ganyan ba talagang natatagong libro sa library nila).

“Thanks! I owe you a lot, super.” Minhyun said habang ipinapasok yung book sa loob ng halos bakante niyang backpack.

“What’s with the book? About religion e.” Jeonghan asked.

Minhyun explained na di pa available yung edition na kailangan niya sa UST lib and he knew na mas updated ang lib ng La Salle. Also, he didn’t want to go through the process of asking permission and typing letters pa for access e kung may kaibigan naman siyang pwedeng humiram for him.

“Also, it’s for a paper,” patuloy ni Minhyun. “Di ako relihiyoso. At kung lumuluhod man ako, hindi sa simbahan.” It was more of a whisper pero rinig ni Sehun. Sinundan pa ‘to ng wiggle ng brows. He didn’t know what to feel.

Tumawa si Jeonghan. “Speaking of which you haven’t intro-ed him to me yet. Is he here?”

For a moment Sehun was lost. Him? Intro? Sino? Then Minhyun looked at his phone. “Ah, sabi niya malapit na raw siya.”

At hindi nga matagal ang hinintay nila. May pumasok na estudyante—La Sallian—at kumaway kay Minhyun. Sobrang neat niya at mukhang mabait. At in fairness, gwapo. Bakit hindi ‘to kilala ni Sehun?

“Hi,” bati ni Minhyun.

“Hello.” Kuya greeted back. He gave Minhyun a peck on the cheek.

“So, uh this is Jonghyun,” Minhyun introduced.

Sehun looked at Jeonghan who was also staring at him. Nagkangitian sila. At that very instance, pareho sila ng iniisip. _So ito yung niluluhuran ni Minhyun_.

“Nice to meet you,” Jonghyun said, smiling softly like he was the nicest person on earth. Di maisip ni Sehun paano nagaganap ang luhuran sa kanila but then why was he thinking about it at this point? Siya nga di pa naluluhuran ni Jeonghan or vice versa—oh god, stop. “So the rumors are true nga.”

Jeonghan chuckled. “I heard there were rumors nga but didn’t know it was widespread. But yeah, there’s no point in denying. Nice to meet you. I’m Jeonghan.” He looked across the table. “This is Sehun.”

Jonghyun extended his arm and shook hands with Sehun. “It’s weird and funny na I only hear about you kasi you two are popular but then my boyfriend apparently knows you.”

“Seems like Minhyun likes to talk about us,” ani Jeonghan, pabiro.

“Whatever. Di ka ganun ka-importante,” sagot ni Minhyun. “But hey, double date minsan?”

Jeonghan looked at Sehun as if asking for approval. Sehun didn’t mnd. He had never done a double date yet but as long as Jeonghan was okay with it, he should be okay din. He shrugged and then nodded. “Okay lang.”

“Sure. Just let me know when,” Jeonghan said. “Text text?”

They exchanged goodbyes, nice meeting you’s, and see you’s before Minhyun and Jonghyun left, holding hands while walking pa. Nakatingin si Sehun sa dalawa bago sila nawala na ng tuluyan sa vision niya. “Bagay sila a.”

Jeonghan nodded. “Parang tayo. Bagay din.”

Sehun heaved an exasperated sigh, sabay ng pagpigil ng tawa. That was bad and so outdated but it still got him. “Tangina Jeonghan.”

“Di ka kinilig?”

Nagcrumple ng tissue si Sehun and then binato kay Jeonghan. “Pasalamat ka mahal kita.”

Yun. Nakabawi si Sehun. Halata sa biglang pagbuka ng bibig ni Jeonghan and then closing it, biting his lower lip kasi wala na siyang masabing iba.

“Buti pa sila ano,” Jeonghan spoke a few minutes later. He was referring to Minhyun and Jonghyun again, Sehun knew.

“Na ano?”

Jeonghan shrugged, as if hesitating. Napa-hum pa si Sehun just to gently push his boyfriend to say what he was thinking. “Nagkaluhuran na.”

Biglang tumawa si Jeonghan habang nanlaki ang mata ni Sehun. Nabasa ba ni Jeonghan utak niya kanina? O pareho lang talaga sila ng takbo ng utak. Hindi niya inexpect yun, at lalo nang hindi niya mapigilan ang sarili na mamula. Fuck, bakit siya nagba-blush? At bakit parang medyo naiinitan na siya?

“Gago ka talaga,” sabi ni Sehun in between smiles. Bumuntong hininga siya, and then whispered, “Next time.”

 _Next time_. He didn’t say that, did he? Shet. He looked at Jeonghan, wishing na hindi niya narinig pero sa facial expression nito—wide eyes, natatawa-tawa, at nagba-blush din ng paunti-unti—halatang nahuli niya kung ano sinabi ni Sehun.

Natahimik silang dalawa. Awkward pero not the bad kind of awkward. Siguro mga thirty seconds din silang walang kibo.

“Noted,” bulong ni Jeonghan. Sinipa siya ni Sehun sa ilalim ng mesa.

 

That weekend, they were all gathered together for a prayer meeting. Chos. Not really. As Johnny wished, or requested, or pretty much decided on his own without actually properly consulting everyone although there wasn’t much objection anyway because everyone wanted it, magkakasama sila for a night of happy and chill inuman. They weren’t at Jeonghan’s resto anymore—to Jeonghan’s relief. It was Johnny’s condo which was quite spacious for a single person. And it wasn’t bad. In fact, it’s good na malaki yung lugar given na ang unang rule ni Johnny was that everyone should have a plus one. Surprisingly, almost everyone was there na—with their respective pluses.

Johnny got Ten, the both of them cooking food when Sehun and Jeonghan came, the first other couple to arrive. Then nagsunod-sunod na yung iba. Magkasabay na dumating ang Ateneo-La Salle couples: Wonwoo with Mingyu, and Seungcheol with Jisoo. Maya-maya pa ay dumating na rin si Vernon at Seungkwan.

“Si Jongin?” Johnny asked habang tinatapos niya yung niluluto niyang sisig. He was obviously waiting for Sehun to answer.

“Sabi niya malapit na sila,” sagot ni Sehun. “But that was like 20 minutes ago.”

“Does anyone know who Jongin is bringing with him?” Wonwoo asked.

Napatingin si Sehun kay Johnny with raised brows. “Hindi ba nila alam?”

“They know!” Johnny said. “Sinabi ko kaya sa group chat!”

“Aaah!” Biglang bulalas ni Seungcheol. “Shet so totoo? Sila talaga? Akala ko nagjo-joke ka lang.”

“Sino?” Tanong ulit ni Wonwoo. “Ayoko na mag-backtrack.”

“Surprise nalang,” sabi ni Vernon, nangingiti.

Tumunog yung doorbell. Agad na lumapit si Sehun at binuksan ang pinto. It’s Jongin at medyo nagulantang siya ng onti dahil merong isang matangkad na tao sa likod nito.

“Hi,” bati ni Jongin.

“Hi,” bati rin ng kasama nito. Ang lalim ng boses.

Nagulat si Sehun. Jongin already told him how deep Chanyeol’s voice can be pero di niya ‘to inexpect. No wonder Jongin had always thought his boyfriend’s voice was hot. “Pasok,” Sehun said.

“Yo,” Johnny greeted Jongin. And then he looked at Chanyeol with a grin before giving him a bro shake, sabay embrace. Sehun knew they were good friends kahit magkaribal ang school nila.

“They wouldn’t believe you’re Jongin’s plus one,” Johnny said, sabay tingin sa mga kasama niya sa team na nasa living area. Sumilip si Chanyeol and he bowed with a shy “Hello.”

“Woah!”

“Totoo nga!”

“Hala!”

Sabay yung halo-halong gulat at amusement ng lahat nang biglang sumilip si Chanyeol sa living room. They all gathered around, greeting and embracing him. Ito nga tinatawag nilang interuniversity unity. Aside from Johnny (and Ten), si Jeonghan at Sehun lang ang di nagulat. Well, of course. Si Sehun ang nakahuli, and siya rin nagbuking kay Jeonghan. 

“Mamaya na tanungan ah, save the kwentuhan for later,” Jeonghan reminded when almost everyone started throwing questions at them. Highlight couple bigla si Jongin at Chanyeol, and although they were a bit shy sa attention na nakukuha nila, di naman sila mukhang super uncomfortable. Besides, Chanyeol seemed to know naman the rest of the team and Jongin wasn’t new.

Johnny had his balcony ready. Kumpleto with table and chairs, and the Makati skyline in the horizon looked nice dahil padilim na rin.

“Ang romantic naman nito,” biro ni Seungkwan habang nagaayos sila ng mga kubyertos. Sehun nodded with a chuckle. Oo nga. But then it’s just fitting; lahat sila rito may kaniya-kaniyang dalang love lives. Bihira ata yung barkada na lahat may jowa or ka-MU. Well, they’d never know kung lahat ba sila rito happy ever after ang kauuwian so might as well lubusin na ang happy moment and this romantic city view.

“Start na!” Sigaw ni Ten, may buhat na isang kaha ng beer. Nakasunod sa kaniya si Johnny na may dala pang isa. Nakasunod si Chanyeol, Jongin, at Jeonghan na dala ang mga pagkain. Agad na nag-assemble ang lahat sa mesa sabay kuha ng isang bote at lantak sa mga pulutan.

Siyempre, dahil bago, kahit kasisimula palang ng inuman, si Chanyeol at Jongin agad ang na-hot seat. Wala rin nagawa yung dalawa kung hindi magkwento. First, real score: sila. Second, paano sila nagkakilala, believe it or not, nagkabungguan lang sila sa isang mall. Jongin did the first move. To say na amazed ang lahat—except for Sehun and Johnny of course, they already know the kwento—was an understatement. Di sila makapaniwala na nangyayari pa pala yung ganon. Napaka-teleserye ng love story.

“Kiss naman diyan!” Biglang bulahaw ni Sehun. Sumunod naman ang lahat sa kantsawan. Ayaw pa nila at first. (“Wag na pabebe,” bulong ni Sehun kay Jongin, na sinabayan naman ni Johnny ng pagsiko kay Chanyeol). Peer pressure. So nagpaunlak na ang dalawa ng isang maiksi pero sweet na kiss sa lips. Of course naghiyawan and wolf whistles ang lahat.

“O next, Sehun!” Sigaw ni Johnny. “Sehun! Jeonghan! Sehun! Jeonghan!”

“Pota,” bulong ni Jeonghan, natatawa. Kumuha niya na yung isang bakanteng bote sa case at nilagay sa gitna ng mesa. “Mamaya na. Fuck Kill Marry muna.”

Ayan. Ang institusyong laro ng barkada. Everyone tried to stop Jeonghan kasi kapag nagsimula na sila, di na sila titigil. Pero wala, nailagay na ni Jeonghan ang bote sa mesa, at more than half of them agreed na na magsimula na sila sa laro.

“Game na!’ Inikot ni Jeonghan ang bote. Unang sasagot, si Vernon.

“Hay nako, next next!” Sabi ni Wonwoo.

“Hala bakit?” Tanong ni Johnny.

Tumawa si Seungcheol. “E alam naman nating fuck and marry niyan si Seungkwan e.”

“Oy grabe ‘to!” Biglang react ni Seungkwan. “Wag niyo ko ilagay sa choices kasi!”

Nagtawanan ang lahat. “Nuks, confident na siya kay Vernon o,” tease ni Jeonghan. Nagsimulang mamula ang pisngi ni Seungkwan at di na siya nakapagsalita pa ulit.

“Okay fine,” simula ni Jeonghan. “Johnny, Seungcheol, Chanyeol.”

“Kill Johnny!” Mabilis na sagot ni Vernon. Agad naman siyang binato ni Johnny ng tansan.

“Pasintabi Jongin a,” Vernon continued. “Hot boyfriend mo e so fuck Chanyeol.”

Napatayo si Seungcheol sabay yakap kay Jisoo na katabi niya. “Ew. No!” (“Umayos ka nga, arte nito,” pabirong sabi ni Jisoo sa kaniya.)

The game carried on with Vernon spinning the bottle. Tumigil ang pagikot at tumapat kay Chanyeol.

“Nice,” Vernon said. “Don’t worry di kasali si Jongin sa choices.”

Nagkatinginan ang dalawa sabay shrug. Suddenly it’s the new rule. Para mas fun, di pwedeng kasali sa pagpipiliian ang plus one’s. Made sense.

Vernon hummed. “Jeonghan, Johnny, Wonwoo.” Everyone made “Ooh” noises of approval. 

“Kill Johnny,” agad na sabi ni Chanyeol. Nagpalakpakan ang lahat as if it was the most expected answer. No offense taken, of course. Johnny even gave him a thumbs up sabay biro na kapag si Chanyeol nasama sa choices, he’d also kill him. Yeah, joke.

“I’d probably marry Wonwoo because he’s dating an Atenean and that means he got good life choices,” explain ni Chanyeol. Yeah, blue all the way. He was referring to Mingyu na katabi ngayon ni Wonwoo. Nagkatuksuan pa ang dalawa, and a bit of shy smiles. Kinilig ampota.

“So yeah, fuck Jeonghan,” patuloy ni Chanyeol. “Mukha naman siyang fuckable, diba Sehun?” Kasalukuyang umiinom si Sehun ng beer. Muntikan siyang masamid nang biglang mabanggit yung pangalan niya.

Biglang nalipat ang tuksuan kina Sehun at Jeonghan. Nagbiro pa si Seungcheol na may dala siyang condoms naman sa bag so if ever they decided to hit it off in Johnny’s pad, everyone’s gonna do it safely. Pinalo siya ni Jisoo sa likod.

“Wala pa kami sa stage na yan grabe kayo,” explain ni Jeonghan.

“Pero darating din.” Singit ni Johnny, wiggling his brows. Napalunok si Sehun. To be honest, hindi pa naman talaga niya naiisip na...yeah, do the _thing_. Not that he felt uncomfortable talking about this with his friends. He just wanted to let things flow naturally sa kanila ni Jeonghan. Di rin naman sila nagmamadali. Kaya niyang kontrolin libido niya.

“Next na nga!” Biglang sabi ni Sehun. Inabot niya yung bote kay Chanyeol.

For the next thirty minutes, ito nalang ang nilalaro nila. The next person on the spot was Mingyu (fuck Sehun, marry Jongin, kill Jisoo), and then Seungcheol (fuck Chanyeol, marry Johnny, kill Wonwoo). Soon napagod na sila and they ended up just talking about the most random things. Nagsisimula na ring magpakita ng kalasingan ang mga tao. Pangatlong kaha na nila ng beer at halos ubos na rin ang pagkain. It won’t be too long bago dumating ang usapang lasing, or if someone just starts making out in front of them.

In the middle of everything, naalala ni Sehun yung napagusapan nila ni Jeonghan the other day about going to a beach this summer. Inopen up niya yung idea na magbakasyon sila sa Batangas kasi may kamaganak sina Sehun na merong resort dun. Mabuti at karamihan sa kanila ay sober pa kaya nagawa pa nilang makuha ang agreement ng lahat.

Habang nagkukwentuhan, maya-maya ay naramdaman ni Sehun na inaabot ni Jeonghan ang kamay niya then he held it sabay intertwine ng fingers.

“Bakit?” Pabulong na tanong ni Sehun. Not that he had never done it before. He just thought it was out of the blue. Jeonghan just shook his head. He leaned on Sehun’s shoulder tapos tumingala. Walang pasabi, bigla niyang hinalikan si Sehun sa pisngi. Lalong hinigpitan ni Jeonghan ang hawak niya kay Sehun.

No one reacted so no one seemed to have noticed until Sehun looked at Jongin, nakangiti sa kanilang dalawa. Napangiti nalang din si Sehun. So ganito pala si Jeonghan kapag lasing at may jowa, sobrang cheesy.

It was around three na nang may nagsimula nang tumumba. Dahil wala na rin naman silang mapagkwentuhan, everyone decide to call it a night at magpahinga na. Johnny got a few spare rooms and the living area’s comfortable enough naman. Kalat kalat na silang natulog.

Unfortunately for Sehun, kahit marami na siyang nainom, hindi siya makatulog. He ended up going outside, sa balcony where they had their inuman at tumambay habang nagpapahangin. It’s still cold lalo na’t kakasimula palang ng taon. He really love this weather.

“Hey.”

Tumingin siya sa pintuan ng balcony and there was Jeonghan, peeking at him with sleepy eyes.

“Sorry, nagising ba kita?” Sehun stood up, pulling a chair next to him habang papalapit si Jeonghan sa kaniya. Umiling si Jeonghan and then he took his seat.

“Di ka inaantok?” Jeonghan asked. Kinuha ulit niya yung kamay ni Sehun and held it tightly.

“Yeah.” Sehun just looked up and inhaled. They were silent. Nung una, nakatingin lang si Jeonghan kay Sehun as if wondering kung saan nakatitig yung boyfriend niya. Eventually though, nakatingin na rin siya sa langit.

“This is nice,” Sehun said.

He felt Jeonghan tug on his hand so he hummed, as if asking. Pero ayaw tumigil sa pag-tug ni Jeonghan. Hinihintay niyang humarap sa kaniya si Sehun. So Sehun did.

And he got a pair of lips pressed against his.

Hindi ito inexpect ni Sehun, or well, maybe he kind of? He didn’t think na it would really happen. But then a little over a month since their first kiss and here he was, getting slightly drunk kissed by his boyfriend at almost four in the morning.

It probably was the teasing, and the alcohol, and the cold air that made the body heat a lot more felt. Nagsimula siya as a soft, chaste kiss. Long for a start, but not bad. Maya-maya pa ay naka-akbay na si Jeonghan sa kaniya, a hand on Sehun’s nape, and both of them tilt their heads for an open-mouthed kiss. It was at this point where Sehun finally gave in.

Hinawakan niya si Jeonghan sa mukha as if trying to stabilize him. Besides, between the two of them, si Sehun ang pinaka-sober and it’s better if he had this in control kesa maging sloppy dahil sa kalasingan ng boyfriend niya.

Tumigil sila saglit. Nakangiti si Jeonghan, at natawa nalang si Sehun dahil hindi niya alam kung inaantok ba si Jeonghan or if he was trying hard to be sultry. “What was that for?” Tanong ni Sehun.

Umiling si Jeonghan. “Wala. I love you.”

Sehun chuckled. He tapped Jeonghan’s cheek. “Lasing ka nga.”

“No.”

“That’s what drunk people say.”

“Whatever.”

“I love you, too.”

Lalong napangiti si Jeonghan. He even lowered his head as if nahihiyang ipakita na kinikilig siya.

“Shit I really want to kiss you forever,” Jeonghan said.

“Well,” sagot ni Sehun. “No one’s stopping you?”

At agad na hinalikan ulit ni Jeonghan si Sehun. This time, wala na yung nahihiyang simula. It was all mouth and tongue, arms wrapped around each other. Sehun held Jeonghan on his arm and pulled him so that he was forced to stand up.

“What?” Jeonghan asked. Pero patuloy lang sa paghila si Sehun hanggang sa mapaupo na siya sa lap ni Sehun. Jeonghan looked at him with wide eyes, as if surprised. It was really a compromising position, lalo na’t nasa kabilang kwarto lang yung mga kasama nila and anyone could walk in on them. Pero he didn’t say anything. Kumbaga masyado na silang high. So when Sehun leaned forward, Jeonghan met him with another kiss. 

When Jeonghan moved his lips pababa, sa cheeks, slowly to his jaws, Sehun knew where this was going. Pero hindi na siya nagpapigil. He held Jeonghan’s shirt, grabbing it tightly when he started grinding on his lap. Sehun held his breath. May nagbabadyang ungol na sa lalamunan niya as he felt Jeonghan pressed harder against his also pool of heat right beneath his pants.

Sehun knew they wouldn’t do it here—they shouldn’t—pero _tangina, ang sarap_. He slowly tried to reach for Jeonghan’s belt, pero wala muna siyang ginawa as if waiting for any sign na pwede niyang ituloy kung ano man binabalak niya. When Jeonghan smiled and pressed harder, that’s when Sehun knew na di na talaga siya dapat umatras pa. He fumbled on the buckle, lalo na’t hindi niya nakikita dahil patuloy lang siyang hinahalikan ni Jeonghan. Then he managed to lift it, and pull the shorter strap.

“Jong— _oh my god, sorry_!”

Tila binuhusan ng malamig na tubig yung dalawa at agad na naghiwalay. Napatayo pa si Jeonghan, jumping from Sehun’s lap.

“Shit. Sino yun?” Sehun asked, nakatingin sa pintuan. There was no one there already.

“I don’t know. He sounded like Chanyeol,” Jeonghan said. He began fixing his belt. 

Well, that was quite an interruption. Nagkatinginan ang dalawa for a few seconds and then they laughed.

“That was the beer,” Sehun said. Jeonghan nodded. “Yeah, definitely the beer.”

It was a bit awkward lalo na’t both of them seemed to sport obvious hard-ons na. Pero nagkatotoo na ang hinala ni Sehun na may makakakita sa kanila so tama lang na itigil na muna nila.

“Water? Do you want?” Tanong ni Jeonghan, breaking the ice. Tumango si Sehun. Yes. He needed water. Baka sakaling mahimasmasan ang kaniyang katawan.

When Jeonghan went back inside, hindi mapigilan ni Sehun na mangiti sa sarili. It was funny, exciting, maybe embarrassing, too? But also nice. That was definitely an experience. An upgrade na rin siguro in their relationship as boyfriends. 

Sehun touched his lips, and then his neck. Napaisip pa siya if Jeonghan left hickeys. He was quite into it e. Sana wala.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Finally a JeongHun update! Medyo mabilis ang galawan nila rito. From pabebe to mapusok.  
> 2\. Nakakapagod isulat yung last part okay? Pero sana _nag-enjoy_ kayo.  
>  3\. Also, ayan exposed na po ang jowa ni Minhyun.  
> 4\. Huwag kalimutan ang hashtag: #BIG4AUBumibigay.  
> 5\. Kung may violent reactions po kayo, just leave a comment. Ikatutuwa ko po talaga iyon. Pwede niyo rin po ako bulabugin sa aking [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/myeontague). Salamat!


	9. Lechon Manok

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ngayong nagka-aminan na, biglang denial of reality naman itong si Daniel. Si Seongwoo naman, nagpapaka-martir pa rin. Pero mabuti na lang talaga at nariyan ang mga taong pwedeng magpaliwanag sa dalawa kung ano ba ang dapat nilang gawin. Wala namang may gusto ng sad ending, diba?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. This is the last OngNiel chapter so congratulations to us sa mga nagabang ng kay tagal para sa ending ng OngNiel arc! Whee! Hashtag is #Big4AULechonManok.  
> 2\. [Spotify playlist here](https://open.spotify.com/user/danteydi/playlist/5jbMvfz7arFzSXhnA9gmiK?si=d4CuDa0UTMCGbT6ndbizQw)! Grabe pakinggan niyo 'to dahil nag-effort kami in curating the perfect songs for this arc.

Isang araw, magkasama si Daniel at Seongwoo sa condo ni Seongwoo. It's 12:10 PM. Hawak ni Daniel ang phone niya habang nakahilata naman si Seongwoo sa kama, nakatingin din sa phone niya, nakangiti.

“Uh…” Panimula ni Daniel. Hindi kumibo si Seongwoo.

“Niloloko mo ba ako?”

This time, tumingin na si Seongwoo, nakangiti pa rin pero nakataas na ang kilay. “Mukha ba akong nagbibiro?”

Malakas pa rin ang kabog sa dibdib ni Daniel pero hindi niya pa rin ma-discern kung nagbibiro ba si Seongwoo o totoo na ‘to. Masyadong natataranta ang feelings ni Daniel para mapansin niya na ang totoo, kahit si Seongwoo kinakabahan din sa nangyayari.

Agad kinuha ni Daniel yung maliit na unan na nasa sofa at binato ito kay Seongwoo.

“Sira ka talaga!”

Dumaplis lang yung unan sa likod ng kamay ni Seongwoo pero enough para magulat ito at mabitawan ang phone na hawak niya. Dahil nakahiga siya sa kama, saktong sa mukha bumagsak ang screen nito.

“Puta!” Bulalas ni Seongwoo. “Gago ka!”

Sabay ng pag-bangon ni Seongwoo ay ang paghalakhak naman ni Daniel. “Shet! Sorry! Di ko sadya!”

Kahit napapahimas pa sa ilong si Seongwoo, hindi rin niya mapigilang mangiti. “Sira-ulo ka talaga.”

“Ikaw kasi e! Wag mo nga kasi akong pinagloloko!”

“Aba,” ani Seongwoo habang umuupo sa gilid ng kama. “Bakit ba ina-assume mo na nanloloko ako?”

Natigilan saglit si Daniel. Oo nga naman. Bakit ina-assume niya na hindi totoo yung tweet ni Seongwoo? Hindi ba niya matanggap na pwedeng...pwedeng magustuhan din siya ni Seongwoo? Na gusto _talaga_ siya ni Seongwoo? Pero...hindi e. _Gusto siya ni Seongwoo?_ No. Nope. That’s too good to be true. Hindi ito Wattpad fic. AO3 fic ito. Charot.

“Hay nako Ong Seongwoo,” buntong hininga ni Daniel. “Sino ba kasi talaga?”

“Hay nako Kang Daniel.’ Ginaya ni Seongwoo ang tono ng pagbuntong hininga ng kasama. “Si Kang Daniel ka nga talaga. Kung hindi manhid, dense.’

“Wow, so ako pa ang manhid at dense ngayon?”

“Oo. Dense ka,” ani Seongwoo. Tumayo siya sa kama at lumapit kay Daniel. “So ayaw mong maniwala talaga?”

Hindi na nagsalita si Daniel. Nararamdaman niyang nagseseryoso na ang best friend niya. Napalunok nalang siya ng sarili niyang laway. Out of the blue, tinapat ni Seongwoo ang clenched fist niya sa harap ni Daniel.

“Ano ‘yan?”

“Bato-Bato-Pik.”

“Ha?”

“Bato-Bato-Pik,” ulit ni Seongwoo. “Kapag natalo ako, bahala ka nang isipin anong gusto mo. Kapag natalo ako papatunayan kong totoo yung tweet ko.”

Lalong kinabahan si Daniel. Pero kahit ayaw niyang tanggapin at aminin na dense siya (at ma-pride din siya), sige go. Di siya aatras.

“Isa lang?”

“Isa lang.”

“Game.”

Mukha silang tanga. Yung katotohanan about their feelings, andiyan na hovering in the air pero itong si Daniel, intense. Ide-deny at ide-deny niya yung totoo dahil parang mas gusto ata niyang masaktan kesa harapin yung mas masayang katotohanan.

“Game na ah?” Tanong ni Seongwoo. Tumango si Daniel.

“Bato.”

“Bato.”

“ _Pik._ ”

Naka-gunting si Daniel. Naka-bato si Seongwoo. Pero napansin ni Daniel na may 0.1 second delay ang pagbaba ni Seongwoo ng kamay. So of course aangal siya. Kaso bago pa siya maka-reklamo, may pumigil na agad sa kaniya.

Mga labi ni Seongwoo na nakalapat sa mga labi niya.

Kung meron mang balak sabihin si Daniel, nawala na ‘to sa utak niya na parang bula. At surprised was an understatement sa kung ano ang nangyari sa kaniya. Kulang na lang lumuwa na mata niya sa pagkabigla. Pero all these lasted for only a second. Dahil the next thing he knew, he was feeling Seongwoo's lips--soft,a bit dry, and still.

Bakante ang utak niya pero ang puso niya, punong puno. Na para bang lahat ng dapat igalaw ng brain cells niya, napunta lahat sa cardiac muscles niya. Mabilis ang tibok sa dibdib niya niya, fast enough para tuluyan nang bumigay ang katawan niya sa dikta ng puso niya.

Marahan pumikit si Daniel at unti-unting inanggulo ang kaniyang muka. Hindi niya namalayan na nakahawak na pala ang kamay niya sa braso ni Seongwoo, nakaalalay habang naka-lean siya kay Daniel.

Then all of a sudden, parang may pumitik sa ulunan ni Daniel. Hindi niya alam kung may nag-spark na wiring, o naputukan na siya ng ugat sa batok, pero agad siyang nabitaw kay Seongwoo sabay ng pagkahiwalay ng mga labi nila.

Nakatitig sila sa isa’t isa. Walang umiimik. Sa biglang paghila ni Daniel sa sarili niya palayo ay sabay ng pagkalito sa mga mata ni Seongwoo. Hindi na alintana ni Daniel kung nagba-blush ba siya o hindi, o kung halos kumawala na sa ribcage niya yung puso niya sa halong kaba at excitement.

“ _Putangina, ano ‘to? Bakit di ko alam gagawin ko?_ ”

“O-okay ka lang?” Tanong ni Seongwoo.

Tumango si Daniel pero agad niyang iniwas yung mata niya at tumingin sa bakanteng sahig. “ _Shit._ ” Agad siyang tumayo. Sinundan siya ng tingin ni Seongwoo.

“Saan ka pupunta?” Tanong nito.

Umiling-iling si Daniel habang nagsisimula siyang umatras papunta sa pinto.

“Hoy! Daniel!”

Tawag ni Seongwoo nang tumakbo papalabas si Daniel. Pero parang wala ‘tong narinig. Dere-deretso siya sa hallway.

Ito nanaman siya. Mabilis na pinindot ni Daniel ang down at agad din namang bumulas ang elevator. Bakit ba siya tumatakbo? Ano bang problema niya? At bakit parang ang sikip sa dibdib? Bakit siya naluluha? Bakit kailangang umiyak?

Hindi na siya nagulat na hindi siya sinundan ni Seongwoo. Pero a part of him was whispering na sana sumunod siya, na sana humabol siya, na sana tumakbo din siya palabas para pigilan si Daniel. Pero bakit? Para saan? Hinalikan na siya ni Seongwoo. Pinatunayan niyang totoo yung pag-amin niya sa Twitter.

_Na siya ang gusto ni Seongwoo._

Hindi mawari ni Daniel kung ano ba talaga mararamdaman niya. Basta mabilis ang kabog sa kaniyang dibdib, at hindi makali ang mga paru-paro sa tiyan niya. Parang hindi rin siya nakatapak sa lupa. Hindi ba siya makapaniwala? Pakiramdam ba niya nananaginip lang siya? Tangina bakit ang labo niyang tao?

Agad kinuha ni Daniel ang phone niya as soon as he reached yung lobby. Dumeretso siya sa messages at tinype sa search box: _Kuya Minseok_.

 

“So…which part of what happened do you still not get?”

Nagpapalakad-lakad si Minseok habang naka-upo si Daniel sa sofa. Nasa apartment siya ni Minseok (and thankfully wala si Jongdae kaya hindi ganoon ka-awkward ang feeling). He just wanted his favorite kuya to help him figure things out pero ito siya ngayon, mukhang nasa hot seat.

“Hindi naman sa I don’t get--”

“E sabi mo hindi mo naiintindihan e.” Umupo si Minseok sa carpet in front of Daniel sabay tingin with a smile. Not the mocking one, though. More of like, “Ang funny talaga ng batang ‘to” kind of smile. Daniel wasn’t sure if he should feel comforted or offended.

Hindi namalayan ni Daniel na nakahawak nanaman siya sa labi niya. 

“That’s the twenty-fourth.” Since the moment na ikinuwento niya ang nangyari kay Minseok, lagi na siyang binibilangan nito kung ilang beses niya hinahawakan ang labi niya.

“E kasi naman kuya,” ani Daniel. Isang buntong hininga.

“Alam mo may di ka pa talaga masabi e,” patuloy ni Minseok. Tumayo siya at dumeretso sa kusina. Nang bumalik siya sa sala, may dala na siyang dalawang bote ng Tanduay Ice, nakabukas na. Wow.

“Okay,” sabi ni Minseok sabay upo uli sa pwesto niya. “Sabihin mo lang pag gusto mo pa. Simulan natin sa simula.”

Hinawakan ni Daniel ang bote. Tinitigan lang niya ito for a couple of seconds and then nilagok more than a quarter of its content. Isa pang hinga. Nilapag niya ang bote.

“Okay go.”

Uminom ng onti si Minseok sa bote niya sabay iling ng nakangiti. “Okay go. Deretsahan na a?”

Tumango-tango si Daniel.

“Sa tingin mo bakit ka tumakbo after ka niya halikan?”

Napapikit saglit si Daniel dahil every single time na may magbabanggit na hinalikan siya ni Seongwoo, bumabalik lahat ng feelings niya that moment. Yung feeling na halos di siya makahinga sa bilis ng tibok ng puso niya. Yung feeling na hindi niya maramdaman ang sarili niya kasi para siyang lumulutang. Yung feeling na...ang lambot pala ng mga labi ni Seongwoo at kung pwede lang maulit--

“Hindi ko alam.”

Natawa si Minseok. “Akala ko ba deretsahan na?”

Napasimangot si Daniel. “Para kasing...parang, ewan. Nabigla ako. Tapos di ko alam bakit sobrang kinakabahan ako. Tapos parang nanginginig. Parang...ano…”

“Parang…?”

“Parang...natatakot.”

Tumungga ulit si Minseok sa bote niya. “Natatakot?” Tanong niya, although it was more of like asking for Daniel to continue and less of clarification.

Napaisip si Daniel sabay tungga rin sa sarili niyang bote. _Natatakot._ Oo nga, natatakot? Bakit siya natatakot? Natatakot nga ba talaga siya? Pero kung natatakot siya…

“Ano ba kinakatakot mo?” Si Minseok na ang nagtanong.

Lalong napaisip si Daniel. Hindi naman pwedeng magkamali siya kasi kung meron mang salita na would perfectly describe kung ano nararamdaman niya, it was “natatakot.” Pero ngayong alam na niya kung ano yung salitang yun, hindi niya na alam kung thankful ba siya o hindi dahil hindi naman niya alam kung ano ang sagot sa “Bakit?”

“Di ko alam.”

“ _Alam mo_ ,” ani Minseok. “Well, okay. Sa ngayon siguro nga hindi mo alam. Pero meron kang kinakatakot. Di mo lang masabi. Di mo lang ma-articulate.”

Tungga ulit. Then isang mahabang exasperated sigh. “Bakit parang alam mo kung ano yun, kuya?”

Napa-shrug si Minseok. “Ewan. Siguro alam ko. Siguro hindi. Assumero ako e,” sabay tawa.

At kung tama man ang hinuha ni Minseok, alam ni Daniel na hindi niya ‘to sasabihin. Alam niyang kahit sa mga ganitong bagay, kahit sobrang personal na, outside org and acads, hindi pa rin papayag si Minseok na i-spoonfeed niya si Daniel. Hindi niya sure kung dahil ba ‘to sa ugali ng mga taga-UP pero siguro nga mas okay na ‘to. Kumbaga emotional group support kahit dalawa lang sila sa team. Tapos dakilang cheerleader niya si Minseok.

“Natatakot kasi ako na…”

It was at the back of his head. Tama si Minseok. _Alam nga niya_. Pero for the longest time he had pushed it deep in his subconscious na ngayong unti-unti na ‘tong nagpupumilit lumabas sa bibig niya, suddenly it was just too difficult to bear and to even accept.

Tapos biglang ang sakit na sa dibdib. Sinusubukan niyang hindi maiyak. Pinipilit niya pero hindi na talaga niya napigilan.

“Kasi best friend ko siya kuya,” ani Daniel, nanginginig yung mga labi. “Best friend ko siya. Natatakot ako na...if things don’t turn out as we wished, baka masira lang yung lahat.”

It was a mixture of relief and pain. Relief na finally, nasabi na niya kung bakit siya tumakbo. Kung bakit niya pinipilit sa sarili na hindi tama yung nangyari. Kung bakit sa tinagal-tagal na naging magkaibigan sila ni Seongwoo, at sa tagal ng panahon na nahulog na pala ang loob nila sa isa’t isa, ayaw tanggapin ni Daniel na ganoon na nga ang nangyayari. Na yung pinakamatalik niyang kaibigan, gusto na niya. Mahal na niya.

Hindi na napigilan ni Daniel na maiyak. Agad tumayo si Minseok at tinabihan ito sabay himas sa likod. Hindi siya nagsalita at hinayaan lang niya si Daniel na umiyak hanggang sa mahimasmasan ito.

“Sorry kuya,” ani Daniel. 

Umiling si Minseok. “It’s okay. Water?”

Tumango si Daniel at agad namang tumayo si Minseok papuntang kusina. Nang bumalik siya, may dala na siyang isang baso ng tubig. Agad naman itong ininom ni Daniel.

“I understand you so don’t be sorry,” ani Minseok. “Uh…just, uhm, a thought. Which may be a little bit frank. Okay lang?”

“Okay lang. You are always frank,” pabirong sagot ni Daniel. “Ano ‘yun?”

“Maybe you are just being too pessimistic?” Simula ni Minseok. Walang imik si Daniel dahil alam niyang may kasunod pang sasabihin si Minseok. “Okay that sounded too frank than I thought but what I mean is you’re thinking too much of the what-if’s in a cynical way. Kumbaga, wala pa ngang “kayo” technically pero you’re already thinking about an ended relationship.”

Walang maisip na isagot si Daniel--o kung dapat bang may sabihin siya. Totoo naman ang lahat ng sinabi ni Minseok sa kaniya.

“I hope you’re not taking this the wrong way ah,” Minseok said, a little worried.

“No. No, it’s good. It’s okay,” sagot ni Daniel. “I appreciate it more that you’re telling these to me rather straightforwardly kesa yung nagpapaligoy-ligoy tayo. Also, you just have a way with words that help me understand kung ano ba talaga nangyayari. I really appreciate it.”

“Glad to hear that.” Tinapik-tapik uli ni Minseok si Daniel sa likuran. “Anyway, second point is. Given what I said, wouldn’t it be unfair kay Seongwoo na you’re always trying to step back when he on the other hand has been trying to, I don’t know, take the “giant leap” with you?”

 _Giant leap_. Metaphors talaga ni Kuya Minseok e ‘no? Pero he has a point. A really good point. Oo nga naman. It’s unfair. Siguro nga, hindi lang niya nare-realize, pero Seongwoo’s been doing his best para magparamdam. Kaso dahil sa takot siya, ayan, nagpapakamanhid siya. Tapos ngayong totoo na at kahit siya hindi na niya pwedeng takasan yung nararamdaman niya, pilit naman siyang umaatras pabalik. Wow, Kang Daniel. Di ka pala manhid. Nagpapaka-tanga ka lang talaga.

“I’ve never thought of it that way,” amin ni Daniel. “Pero I guess tama ka nga.”

“Lahat naman ng bago saka uncertain, nakakatakot,” sabi ni Minseok. “Pero kung lagi ka namang pangungunahan ng takot, you’ll never know if you made the right decision or not. Sabi ko nga dati diba, walang mangyayari kung wala kang gagawin. Pero ngayong nandiyan na right in your face yung fact na gusto ka ng gusto mo, wala ka pa ba talagang gagawin?”

Tumango lang si Daniel.

“Actually,” pahabol ni Minseok. “Literal na right in your face kasi hinalikan ka nga pala niya.”

Napahawak uli ng labi si Daniel sabay ng pag-flash ng images na hinahalikan siya ni Seongwoo habang siya, nakahawak sa mukha nito. Wala siyang nagawa kung hindi biglang mag-blush at mapapikit ng mata sa halong hiya at kilig.

“Nakakainis ka, kuya!”

Natawa si Minseok. “Twenty-fifth. Akalain mo yun, twenty five times mong hinawakan lips mo kasi di ka maka-get over sa fact na hinalikan ka ni Seongwoo?”

“Wag mo na nga ulit-ulitin!”

“Kasi kinikilig ka?”

“Ewan ko sa’yo!”

Bigla-biglang nag-lighten up yung mood pero sobrang napaisip talaga si Daniel sa mga sinabi ni Minseok.  
He has all night to properly think about his next actions--at kung paano uli niya haharapin si Seongwoo after ng lahat ng nangyari.

Sa apartment na siya pinatulog ni Minseok, tutal Jongdae won’t be staying with him tonight (and honestly, Jongdae wouldn’t mind). Kahit nahihiya, pumayag na siya. Masyado na ring late. Halos alas dose na. Wala na siyang masasakyang jeep, tren, o fx pauwi. 

Isang mahabang buntong hininga. It was more of a sigh of relief. Laki na ng utang na loob niya kay Kuya Minseok niya. Best human being to ever exist talaga.

 

The next morning, sa isang coffee shop, nagaabang si Seongwoo with a mug of coffee. Umorder rin siya ng isang slice ng cheesecake pero sa thirty minutes na paghihintay niya so far, hindi pa rin niya ito ginagalaw. Bakit ba siya umorder ng pagkain e wala nga siyang gana? Hindi rin nagtagal bago bumukas uli ang pinto ng coffee shop at dumating na ang hinihintay niya.

“Ang tagal? Take your time, ganon?” Reklamo ni Seongwoo.

“Nagaaral kasi ako.” Binaba ni Minhyun ang bag niya at kinuha ang wallet. “At least ako running for honors.”

“Ikaw na.”

“Ako na talaga.” Umalis muna saglit si Minhyun para um-order ng kape. Nang makabalik, ang una agad niyang tinignan ay yung mukha ni Seongwoo.

“Bakit naka-shades? Ganon na ba ako kagwapo na sobrang nagliliwanag na?”

Cinrumple ni Seongwoo yung tissue sa table at binato kay Minhyun. “Magtigil ka nga. Ang laki ng eyebags ko. Hindi ako nakatulog.”

“Okay lang yan,” ani Minhyun. “Pinaghirapan mo yan. A fruit of your hardships and labor.”

Napa-roll na lang ng eyes si Seongwoo although he was pretty sure na hindi naman ‘to nakita ni Minhyun dahil naka-shades nga siya.

“So ano kwento?” Tanong ni Minhyun. At sinimulan na ni Seongwoo ang pagkwento sa lahat ng nangyari kahapon, simula sa confession niya on Twitter hanggang sa paghalik niya kay Daniel (hindi napigilan ni Minhyun na kiligin, halos matapon niya yung kape sa mesa nila), at sa biglang pagtakbo ni Daniel.

“Okay...that was, uhm, weird?” React ni Minhyun.

Tumango-tango naman si Seongwoo. “I know right? I mean, alam ko namang weird talaga si Daniel saka minsan ang hirap basahin pero like...he kissed me back.”

“Yeah, he kissed you back. How was it? Was he a good kisser?”

“Tangina nito, priorities?”

“Sagutin mo muna, dali,” pilit ni Minhyun sabay ng mahinang sipa sa ilalim ng table.

“Okay lang, I guess. It was nice,” sagot ni Seongwoo. Kahit naka-shades, hindi pa rin niya maitago yung pagpula ng mata niya. “It felt like he wanted it, too, e. He even held my face.”

“Alam mo,” singit ni Minhyun. “Kinikilig ako pero at the same time nalulungkot at naiinis ako sa inyo.”

“Ha?”

“Never mind. So anong balak mo gawin?”

Seongwoo shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Are you gonna apologize?”

Seongwoo shrugged again. “Siguro.”

“Do you think you did something wrong?”

Napabuntong hininga si Seongwoo. “Wala naman.”

“Aside from kissing him without asking for permission?”

“Uh…”

“Which probably caught him off-guard?”

Alright, alright. Medyo nagulat si Seongwoo roon but Minhyun actually had a point. He did kiss Daniel all of a sudden, and even if Daniel seemed to have liked it, it was still without consent. So it caught Daniel surprised, suddenly confused, and perhaps even unsure of what was happening.

“Yeah.” Nilamon na lang ni Seongwoo ang pride niya. “I should apologize to him.”

“You see,” patuloy ni Minhyun sabay higop ng onti sa iniinom niyang kape. “I can’t assume about what Daniel thinks or feels kasi from the looks of it, he likes you naman. He probably was just, I don’t know, anxious? Na things were pretty much escalating so quickly, pero all I can just say will be based sa kung ano nanggagaling sa’yo.”

“Yeah, I know.” Tumango si Seongwoo. “I just didn’t know what do with Daniel. I’m confused but also afraid na I might have ruined our friendship? But thanks. Really. I guess I should start with an apology.”

“You can do it.” Tinapik ni Minhyun si Seongwoo sa balikat. “Also, hindi niyo naman ‘yan malilinaw kung hindi kayo maguusap. If you apologize, you’re essentially starting a conversation so, ayun. Chance na ‘yun to clear things up.”

“Sabagay,” ani Seongwoo.

“Pero sure ka bang he kissed you back?”

“Oo nga. Sure ako.”

“Paano?”

“Ide-demo ko sayo? Ew. No.”

“I’d accept the demo kung wala akong jowa,” Minhyun chuckled sabay wink kay Seongwoo.

“Wow so brave of you to assume na I’d want to kiss you.” Seongwoo shivered.

“Whatever,” sagot ni Minhyun sabay wiggle ng brows. “I’m pretty sure Jonghyun kisses better than you.”

“Ugh! I don’t need to know.” Tinakpan ni Seongwoo ang tenga niya. “Wala ka bang ibang pwedeng ikwento aside sa chukchakan niyo ng jowa mo?”

 

 _“Hey, sorry about the other day. Pero can we...talk?”_ Naka-type na siya sa Telegram ni Seongwoo, ready to send kay Daniel. Pero hindi pa niya ma-send. Nagpapalakad-lakad siya back and forth in front of his coffee table kung saan nakapatong ang phone. From time to time, tititigan niya yung phone tapos lalapit at halos ididikit ang daliri sa send button. Pero hindi niya itutuloy at magpapalakad-lakad ulit siya.

“Hay nako, Seongwoo!” Bulong niya sa sarili sabay kamot ng ulo. “Send mo na. Dali. Send mo na.”

Naka-hover na ang daliri niya sa screen ng phone. And then nagsimula siyang magbilang. _One. Two. Three._ Sabi niya sa sarili, after ten seconds isesend na niya. 

_Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine._

Biglang may nag-doorbell. 

_Ten._ Sa gulat niya ay biglang dumikit yung fingertip niya sa screen at tuluyan nang na-send yung message.

“Ano ba yan! Sino ba yan!” Inis na sabi ni Seongwoo. Nakakunot ang nuo niya at napapakamot uli sa ulo habang naglalakad para buksan ang pintuan. Habang binubuksan niya ito, bigla siyang nakarinig ng message alert at halos matumba siya sa kinatatayuan sa pagkabigla nang bumungad sa kaniya si Daniel.

“Uhm, kakatanggap ko lang ng message mo,” ani Daniel.

“Ang bilis mo pumunta,” sagot ni Seongwoo.

“Magic,” biro naman ni Daniel. “Pero...okay, sige.”

This time wala siyang dalang lechon manok. Not that Seongwoo minded.

Umupo sila sa sofa. Then nag-alok si Seongwoo ng gustong kainin o inumin ni Daniel. Candy. Chichirya. Softdrinks. Beer. Tubig. Lahat yun tinanggihan. So umupo na lang ulit si Seongwoo sa sofa, nakapatong ang parehong kamay sa tuhod, arms and back straight. Awkward.

“So--”

Biglang sabay silang nagsalita. Siyempre lalong naging awkward.

“Hindi sige, ikaw na una,” sabi ni Seongwoo.

“Ikaw na,” sagot naman ni Daniel. “Tutal ikaw naman nagtext na magusap tayo.”

“Fine.” Bumuntong hininga si Seongwoo. “Ano...sorry run sa kahapon.” He paused, as if waiting kung may reaction o sasabihin si Daniel. Pero wala itong inimik so Seongwoo decided to continue.

“I think I caught you off guard. Sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you out of the blue. If...if you felt bad about it, or like you hated me because...I don’t know. I kissed you without consent. I was selfish. So sorry.”

Seongwoo ended the apology sounding like he had nothing else to say. Daniel caught it so he nodded. Hindi pa niya totally natatranslate into proper words yung tumatakbo sa utak niya pero get niya where Seongwoo was coming from, kung bakit siya naga-apologize.

“Uhm...so you like me.”

It was supposed to be a question pero nawala yung tanong sa dulo. Daniel didn’t know what exactly to feel when his sentence ended. Hala.

Tumango-tango si Seongwoo. Biglang lalong bumilis ang kabog ng dibdib ni Daniel. A part of him wanted to deny this reality pero he’s here, right beside Seongwoo, feeling numb and shitty and horrible for making Seongwoo feel bad and extremely apologetic as if siya lang ang may mali sa magulo nilang emotions ngayon.

“I...well, I don’t hate you for kissing me. Although I appreciate the apology kasi medyo nabigla nga rin ako.”

“Yeah, I know. Sorry.”

Huminga rin ng malalim si Daniel. Ang lamig na ng kamay niya at pati yung pagpasma, ramdam na ramdam na niya sa paa niya. TMI pero feeling niya pagkatapos ng lahat ng ito, makakapag-piga siya ng pawis sa medyas niya. Kadiri pero ganoong kaba na ang level niya ngayon.

It’s now or never.

“I...like you, too.”

He wished he closed his eyes kasi kinakabahan siya sa kung anong magiging reaction ni Seongwoo. Pero hindi niya ikakaila na he was a little bit disappointed na tinitigan lang siya ng best friend niya with not so much of a shock.

Binasa ni Daniel ang nanunuyo niyang labi ng dila niya bago tumuloy. “Sorry rin. I ran away because I was confused and afraid. I wasn’t sure…I mean I know na gusto rin kita kaso best friend kita at natakot ako na baka...baka if I give in to my feelings, we might ruin it.”

Nakatingin pa rin si Seongwoo sa kaniya, nakikinig.

“Pero I realized...or well, actually, someone made me realize na oo, tama ka. Manhid ako. Saka dense. At di ko napapansin na...all this time, you’ve been trying to, you know, magparamdam. Kaso ayun, dense nga ako. So sorry. Buti di ka pa napapagod ano?”

Napailing si Seongwoo at natatawa. “Wow, took you a long time to realize ah.”

Napangisi rin si Daniel. “Kaya nga nagso-sorry.”

“So you like me, too.” Ginaya ni Seongwoo yung tono ni Daniel kanina. This time, si Daniel na ang tumango-tango. Marahan pa nga kasi medyo nahihiya pa siya.

Natawa bigla si Seongwoo, tapos nakapikit na para bang nagpipigil ng kung ano man.

“Para kang natatae,” biglang sabi ni Daniel.

“Punyeta, sabihan ka ba naman ng taong gusto mo na gusto ka rin niya hindi ka ba naman matae.”

“Mag-CR ka nga muna!”

“Joke lang.” Hindi na mawala ang ngiti sa mukha ni Seongwoo. “Pero para lang malinaw, ulitin mo nga. Please. Gusto ko lang masigurado.”

Hinampas ni Daniel si Seongwoo. “Inaasar mo na ako.”

“Hindi! Kahit ang pula na ng mukha mo.”

“See! Inaasar mo na nga ako, gago ka!”

“Dali na sabihin--”

“ _Gusto kita._ ” Biglang singit ni Daniel. Medyo nagulat si Seongwoo for a moment, then lalo pang lumaki yung ngiti niya. Sinampal-sampal niya ang sarili, yung ginagawa ng mga tao kapag hindi sila makapaniwala sa nangyayari.

“So tayo na?”

Tumango si Daniel. “I...guess?”

“You sure? Di ka na takot?”

Napa-hum si Daniel. “Wala naman sigurong magbabago ano? Para lang mag-best friend tayo pero you can kiss me and I can kiss you. Tapos tayo yung nagde-date. Pero if you think about it, lagi naman tayong nagde-date kaya--”

“ _I love you._ ”

Nakatitig si Seongwoo sa kaniya, this time with a soft, small curl of the lips. Hindi na dapat magulat si Daniel na bigla ‘tong sinabi ni Seongwoo pero hindi pa rin niya mapigilan ang sarili na magulat. He felt his face feel warm all of a sudden at kung akala niya wala nang ipagrerebolusyon yung tiyan na siya halong kilig at kaba, well, Seongwoo suddenly blurting out “I love you” to him proved him wrong.

“Nakakainis ka!” Daniel wished he didn’t sound too pabebe pero tangina, ganito ba talaga kapag nagkaka-jowa na?

“Hala, ayaw mo?”

“Teka lang di pa ako nakakapag-practice sa ganyan kasi!”

Umayos ng upo si Seongwoo. “Edi practice ka na ngayon.”

 _Practice ka na ngayon._ Wow, yung mga stilo ni Seongwoo in egging Daniel to say “I love you” back a? Feeling ba ni Seongwoo he’d give in? Ha? _Ha_

“Yeah, I love you, too.”

Biglang tumayo si Seongwoo sa sofa at ibinato ang sarili sa kama. Nakabaon yung mukha niya sa unan at mukha siyang bulating binudburan ng asin. Hindi mapigilan ni Daniel na matawa. Nang tumigil na si Seongwoo sa pagwawala, mabilis din itong bumalik sa sofa at umupo sa tabi ulit ni Daniel.

Inayos niya muna ang buhok niya at yung damit tapos bigla niyang hinawakan si Daniel sa mukha. “I’m gonna do it right this time.”

May hinuha na si Daniel kung anong mangyayari pero pinabayaan niya na si Seongwoo. “Uh...okay?”

Ngumiti si Seongwoo. Hindi alam ni Daniel kung saan nanggagaling ito pero tangina, bakit ang gwapo bigla ni Seongwoo?

“Can I kiss you?”

Daniel felt so lightheaded but in a really good and extremely kilig way. Nakahawak pa rin si Seongwoo sa mukha niya at nakatitig lang sila sa isa’t isa. Daniel was waiting. A bit impatiently. Nagflashback siya bigla sa kahapon at kung paano siya, for the first time, hinalikan ni Seongwoo.

And it happened again. Sa loob ng halos 24 oras, narito ulit siya, kasama uli si Seongwoo, magkalapat ang mga labi sa isa’t isa.

It was a replay of yesterday except this time, malinaw na sa kanilang dalawa kung bakit sila ganito. Hindi na nagalangan si Daniel na hawakan din ang mukha ni Seongwoo, na i-tilt ang kaniyang ulo at i-part ang kaniyang labi as they slowly crossed the line between a chaste and passionate kiss.

Maya-maya pa ay unti-unti nang sumasandal si Seongwoo sa armrest ng sofa, at sinundan naman siya ni Daniel sa paggalaw nito. Ang original na plan, maguusap lang sila para magkalinawan ng mga nararamdaman. Pero ngayon, heto sila, halos hindi mapigil sa paghalik with one on top of the other.

Naka-patong ang kamay ni Daniel sa maliit na space between Seongwoo’s head and the remainder of the armrest. Kaso, sa di malamang kadahilanan, biglang nanghina ang braso ni Daniel at tumiklop ito. Hindi tuloy niya napigilang tuluyang bumagsak kay Seongwoo (not that he hasn’t fallen for him) _literally_ at nagkauntugan ang dalawa.

“Fuck!” Sabay nilang sabi. At dun lang din natigil ang dalawa sa first make-out session nila as official mag-jowa.

Napa-upo sila ng maayos, at napapunas ng mga labi. Messy, pero they seemed to enjoy it--in ways more than one. Daniel’s pabebe mind tried not to think about it but his own eyes would not deceive himself especially when Seongwoo was just...wearing a plain white shirt and a boxers.

At their current state of...well...pagiinit, mabuti na nga sigurong nagkauntugan sila dahil masyado pa (atang) maaga para mag-third base na sila. Wew.

“Sorry,” ani Daniel, hinihimas ang kaniyang noo.

Seongwoo was doing the same and he had a pillow on his lap. Daniel knew. And he understood. He actually needed one, too, right now.

“Okay lang.”

Tahimik lang sila for a few seconds. Then nagkatinginan. Tapos natawa na lang ulit sila. First lesson on the first day of their jowa life: wag mag-makeout sa sofa. Dun na sa kama. Mas safe.

 

Kakatapos lang ng meeting ni Daniel with his org. Habang naglalakad palabas ng tambayan, sinabayan siya bigla ni Minseok at Junmyeon na parehong biglang umakbay sa kaniya.

“So,” panimula ni Junmyeon. “I heard something good happened.”

“Probably even sweet, and romantic. Nakakakilig,” sunod ni Minseok.

“Whatever.” Si Daniel, may buhat na dalawang libro at mabigat na backpack, struggled to wriggle out of his two seniors pero wala pa rin siyang magawa.

“I’m happy for you,” ani Minseok. “Pwede na tayo mag-triple date.”

Napa-blush si Daniel sa idea pero hindi rin niya naman mapigilang kiligin din.

“Or double date kapag tayo namang dalawa ang napadpad sa España,” sabi naman ni Junmyeon. Oo nga pala, pareho nga pala sila ng Kuya Junmyeon niya na taga-UST ang jowa.

“Sige, iwan niyo ako.” Bumitaw na si Minseok sa pagkakaakbay at nagkunwaring nagtatampo. “Ganiyan naman kayo e.”

“Arte nito,” pabirong bulong ni Junmyeon.

Nang makarating na sila sa steps, napansin agad ni Daniel si Seongwoo na nasa baba, naka-abang sa kaniya. Kumaway ito nang makita niya agad si Daniel.

“Hello Daniel’s boyfriend!” Biglang sigaw ni Junmyeon.

Mahinang siniko ni Daniel si Junmyeon, natatawa. “Kuya, ano ba!”

“Why? Mali ba?”

Umiling-iling na lang si Daniel. Nang finally makababa na sila, hinalikan ni Seongwoo si Daniel sa cheeks sabay hawak sa bakanteng kamay nito. At the very same moment, biglang napahiway si Minseok at Junmyeon sa kilig, naghahampasan pa ng kamay at nagsisitalon sa kinatatayuan.

“Ingat kayo! Uwi agad sa bahay!” Sabi ni Junmyeon.

“Sa kaniya-kaniyang bahay a,” ani Minseok, wiggling his brows. Sinundan siya ng malisyosong tawa ni Junmyeon.

“Magtigil nga kayo!” Nagkunwaring magaabot ng bato si Daniel from the sidewalk habang natatawa na lang si Seongwoo sa kanila.

“Kulit nila.” Amused na sabi ni Seongwoo.

Tumango si Daniel. “Hay, sobra. Di na nga nila ako tinigilan sa pangaasar e.”

“Masaya lang sila for you. Manhid ka kasi e. Pati siguro sila na-frustrate sa kamanhiran mo.”

Tinitigan ni Daniel si Seongwoo ng masama. “Wow. Thank you.”

“Joke lang.”

Habang naglalakad papunta sa jeepney stop, lumapit pa lalo si Seongwoo kay Daniel at bumulong. “Gusto mo pumunta sa condo?”

Nanlaki ang mata ni Daniel sabay tingin kay Seongwoo. Mahagod yung boses e. So may pinapahiwatig.

“H-Ha?”

Tapos biglang humalakhak si Seongwoo. “Anong iniisip mo? Ha? Kakain lang tayo ng lechon manok! May binili kasi ako. Ang malisyoso mo a!”

Napangisi si Daniel, pero natawa na rin siya. “So pinapahiya mo ako ngayon, ha?”

Hindi sumagot si Seongwoo. Tumatawa pa rin siya.

“Gusto mo ba malaman ng mga kasabay natin sa jeep na nung una tayong mag-make out e tinigasan ka?”

Biglang lumapit uli si Seongwoo sa kaniya at hinila siya sa braso sabay bulong. “Joke nga lang e ano ba.”

This time, si Daniel na ang tumatawa. Nakikini-kinita na niyang magiging ganito ang buhay nila bilang mag-jowa, puro asaran. Not that he minded.”

“Hay nako,” buntong hininga ni Daniel. “I love you.”

Nag-side eye sa kaniya si Seongwoo at hindi siya sumagot for a couple of seconds. Daniel tugged him by the arm and Seongwoo chuckled. “Yeah, I love you, too.”

Cheesy pota.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Again, this is the last OngNiel chapter. Theme song of this chapter is James Reid's [Randomantic](https://open.spotify.com/track/4oNnaK85e0PxXV64Mtxs4o?si=v7UTomvaQwSRdUKHs28g0g).  
> 2, At ang hashtag ay #Big4AULechonManok.  
> 3\. If you enjoyed this fic, please leave a comment! Thank you!


	10. Baby Ko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything was amazing and nice between Sehun and Jeonghan. Kumbaga smooth-sailing ang ship. Pero biglang may bagong transfer na estudyante, at napilitang harapin ng dalawa ang mga tanong na medyo iniiwasan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter na ng Big 4 AU 2.0! Oh my god. I can’t believe na nakatapos ako ng isang series. Lord thank you po. Hashtag po natin is #Big4AUBabyKo.

Isang araw, magkasama ulit si Jongin at Sehun dahil manunuod daw dapat sila ng movie with Johnny. Pero dahil dakila ang kanilang kaibigan at late siyang darating, tumambay muna sila sa isang coffee shop.

“Uy,” ani Jongin pagbalik niya from the counter after ordering. “May sasabihin pala ako.”

“Ano yun?” Jongin sipped on his frappe.

“Ano, nagso-sorry pala si Chanyeol,” medyo mahinang sabi ni Jongin, pero nangingiti siya.

“Sorry? Bakit?’

“Di niya sinasadya naman pero ano, nakita niya kasi kayo…” Sinadyang bitinin ni Jongin just to know if magkaka-idea ba si Sehun. Pero sa pagtaas ng kilay ni Sehun at sa pag-abang nito sa sasabihin ni Jongin, mukhang di pa niya get kung ano yun.

“Na…? Deretsuhin mo na kaya.”

“Ano.” Humina ng onti ang boses ni Jongin. “Nahuli niya kayong nagmo-momol ni Jeonghan. Nakaupo pa nga raw si Jeonghan sayo.”

Biglang nanlaki ang mata ni Sehun. Naalala na niya. Nasa isang kwarto sila sa condo ni Johnny when the door suddenly opened—habang nagmo-momol nga sila. They thought they heard someone who sounded like Chanyeol at tama nga sila. Si Chanyeol nga yon.

There was no point in denying na hindi sila yun. Besides, he didn’t want to make it sound like Chanyeol was lying (kahit ayaw pa rin niya sa Ateneo, and out of respect na rin sa bestfriend niya). “Ah, okay. Okay lang. It’s not like we were doing anything…”

Naalala niya bigla na at that point, he was _thisclose_ to unbuckling Jeonghan’s belt, they were essentially grinding on each other, and they were almost _at it_ nang biglang dumating si Chanyeol. Napa-lunok si Sehun. No, they were _not_ not doing anything. They were about to do something. But thanks Chanyeol, naputol siya.

Bigla siyang siniko ni Jongin, nakangiti. “Iba kwento ni Chanyeol sakin.”

Sa ganong kaikling pag-interrupt, ganon karami na rin ba yung details na nakita ni Chanyeol? At ang dilim dun ah.

“Shut up, bakit, hindi ba kayo nagmo-momol ni Chanyeol?”

“Well, we do. We always.”

Sehun rolled his eyes. “Thanks, but I didn’t need to know.”

“You asked.”

“I didn’t.”

“ _Bakit, hindi ba kayo nagmo-momol ni Chanyeol?_ ” Ginaya ni Jongin yung tono ng pagkakatanong ni Sehun, to Sehun’s annoyance.

“So...did you like…” Patuloy ni Jongin. As usual, hindi nanaman na-get ni Sehun kung anong gustong sabihin ng kaibigan niya.

“Pwede ba deretsuhin mo yung mga tanong mo?”

“Fine,” umayos ng upo si Jongin. “So ano, nagkantutan na ba kayo ni Jeonghan?”

Biglang nahampas ni Sehun si Jongin ng libro niya.

“Pota! Ang lakas ng boses mo!”

“Sabi mo deretsuhin ko na!”

“Pwede mo naman ibulong!”

“E bakit namumula ka!”

“Hindi ako namumula!”

Natahimik sila for a few seconds kasi biglang chineck ni Sehun ang sarili sa phone. And yes, namumula nga siya. Hala.

“So ano nga,” this time bumubumulong na si Jongin.

“W-Wala! Hindi. ‘Wag mo nga kami itulad sa inyo!” Kung may phrase na nangangamatis na mukha, si Sehun na ito ngayon.

Nakangiti lang si Jongin. “Wag mo ibalik sakin. Ang pinaguusapan kayo ni Jeonghan.”

“Ewan ko sa'yo! Di naman required na mag-sex na kami a. Peer pressure? Ganon?”

“Hindi naman,” ani Jongin. “Naisip ko lang kasi sabi ni Chanyeol nga nahuli—”

Tinaas bigla ni Sehun ang kamay niya. “Di na kelangang ulitin. Pero get. Get. Okay, walang nangyari after nun. I swear.”

“So walang kantutan.”

Napabuntong hininga si Sehun. Hindi niya alam kung dahil ba sa mukhang titigilan na siya ni Jongin o dahil sa…

“Walang kantutan.”

Tumango-tango si Jongin. “Okay. Yun lang. Next topic.”

 

Hinihintay ni Sehun si Jeonghan sa isang coffee shop. Mga fifteen minutes pa bago mag-dismiss yung class niya kaya narito si Sehun, scroll up and down muna sa social media kahit wala naman talaga siyang binabasang posts o pinapansing tweets.

Ubos na ang kape ni Sehun nang dumating si Jeonghan. “Bakit parang ang lalim naman ng iniisip mo?”

“Di naman.”

Tumango-tango si Jeonghan, di na nag-effort pa na alamin kung ano ba iniisip ni Sehun.

“Well...actually,” biglang sabi ni Sehun at di napigilan ni Jeonghan na mangiti habang umiiling. “Alam mo yung ano, nandun tayo sa isang kwarto ni Johnny. Nung huling inuman.”

For a few seconds tinitigan lang siya ni Jeonghan, pero nang magsimula na siyang mag-blush ng onti, get na ni Sehun na naalala na niya yung exact moment na sinasabi niya.

“Yeah, anong meron dun?”

“Diba may nakahuli kasi sa atin?”

“Ah...oo.”

“Si Chanyeol kasi yun.”

“Ay, totoo?” Tanong ni Jeonghan habang kinukuha niya wallet niya from his bag. “So tama nga hula natin. Si Chanyeol nga. Paano mo nalaman?”

“Sabi ni Jongin sakin. Tapos medyo mukhang maraming details siyang nakita.”

Napataas ng kilay si Jeonghan. “Ha?”

“Kasi...ano...nakita niyang nakahawak ako sa belt mo. Like...alam niyang tinatanggal ko siya at that time.” Pabulong na sinabi ni Sehun. Nasa cafe sila. Ayaw niyang may makarinig.

Medyo nanlaki ang mga mata ni Jeonghan at napahawak siya sa bibig niya. Lalong naging mapula ang pisngi niya.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Natawa si Jeonghan. “Uhm, well, I don’t really mind?”

“Oh.” Napa-blink si Sehun. “Really?”

“I mean...if you don’t mind na Chanyeol saw us, I won’t mind.”

For some reason, parang biglang lumuwag ang paghinga ni Sehun. “Actually I thought you would mind so I was kind of careful. Buti na lang.”

“Yeah. Besides, Chanyeol and Jongin. They don’t look like an equally innocent couple either so…”

Sehun nodded. “Yeah, they’ve pretty much fucked each other a couple of times na so.”

“See?” Tumango-tango lang si Jeonghan. Then there’s a pause between them. He’s holding his wallet, about to order pero di pa siya tumatayo. It’s as if he felt like Sehun was about to say something else pa.

“Ano, speaking of which.” Tama nga hinuha niya.

“Hmm?” Usisa ni Jeonghan.

“Ah, later na. Umorder ka muna. Baka humaba pila.”

Jeonghan gave him a “Sure ka ah? Talaga?” look and waited for Sehun to nod (which he did) bago siya tumayo at pumila. Pero a lot of things happened habang nakapila siya. Dumating sina Wonwoo at Seungcheol. Nagkamali ng binigay na order si ate barista sa kaniya. Biglang pinatawag si Sehun ng groupmates niya sa isang subject kasi emergency. So they didn’t get to talk what Sehun was about to say. Napaisip siya kung ano ba yung nagba-bother sa boyfriend niya, but it didn’t look like it was something too serious anyway so naisip niya na okay lang naman ipagpaliban.

 

“Sehun! Sehun!”

Kasama ni Sehun ang groupmates niya and they were busy discussing what to do on their project na na-move ang deadline to an earlier date. But Johnny and Jongin were a few meters away from him, tinatawag siya. Hindi sila lumalapit, nahihiya ata sa group mates niya. They looked quite serious though kaya nagpa-excuse muna sandali si Sehun.

“Bakit?”

“Nabalitaan mo na?”

“Na ano? Patay na si Duterte?”

“Gago hindi,” natatawang sabi ni Jongin. “Si Luhan nandito sa La Salle.”

“Ha?” Siyempre nagulat is Sehun. Anong ginagawa ng ex niya sa school niya? “Bakit siya nandito?”

“We mean, estudyante na siya rito. He transferred.” Paliwanag ni Johnny, and honestly they looked and sounded a lot more nervous and concerned than Sehun did. “Di mo pa naman siya nakakasalubong ano?”

“Uh, hindi?”

“Ah, okay. Wala lang. Thought you should know,” ani Jongin sabay tapik sa balikat ni Sehun.

“Uh, thanks?”

“Also,” patuloy ni Johnny. “Heard his program is also Comm Arts.”

At dun na nanlaki ng todo ang mga mata ni Sehun. “Oy, seryoso ba yan?”

“That’s from the chika that I got,” sabi ni Johnny. “But that’s very likely. My source is always right.”

“He means alam lang talaga ni Ten lahat ng ganap dito sa school,” explain ni Jongin.

“May problema ka ba sa boyfriend ko?” Nakataas ang kilay ni Johnny kay Jongin.

“I didn’t even say anything bad?” Nagtaas din ng kilay si Jongin.

“Whatever.” Irap ni Johnny. “So ayun. If that’s true—which is 99.99% likely true—your ex is in the same program as your current boyfriend. Akala ko sa drama at fics lang nangyayari ‘to. In real life din pala.”

“It’s not gonna be awkward, is it? Kapag nagkita si Jeonghan at Luhan?” Jongin asked. Johnny butted in with a “Uy, rhyme pala names nila” and he got a kick in the shin.

“I don’t think so,” sagot ni Sehun. “I mean, the last time Luhan and I met was in high school pa. And we had closure naman when we broke up.”

But still, as much as Sehun was trying to convince himself na it’s totally a hundred percent okay, sabi nga ni Johnny, his ex and his current boyfriend, in the same program, that was really funny and awkward. Although more of the latter to be quite honest.

“If you say so.” Jongin had this worried look on his face which Sehun appreciated a lot. Johnny meanwhile didn’t have any reaction, as if he knew Sehun could handle this naman. Which...Sehun appreciated din. When they left and Sehun was back with his groupmates, he tried not to get too preoccupied.

 

It was in the library. Less than 48 hours since he received the news. He accompanied Jeonghan kasi the latter needed to do some archival research for a paper. Sehun didn’t mind. He might as well start with his research na rin for another subject.

Sehun was left sa Filipiniana section habang si Jeonghan umakyat sa archives collection. He found a couple of literature na kailangan niya although it’d be nice if makakahanap pa siya ng dagdag. So patuloy lang siya sa pag-ikot.

Fifteen minutes na siyang nagiikot at medyo napapagod na rin si Sehun sa kakahanap ng madadagdag na libro nang narinig niyang may tumawag sa kaniya. It sounded more of a question than a call. Tumingin siya sa likod niya, then sa gilid, searching for whoever was calling him. For a second, he thought a ghost was haunting him in the library.

“Huy, Sehun!”

Lumabas na siya sa aisle kung nasaan siya into the bigger hallway at saktong paglagpas niya sa shelf, biglang may lumitaw na isang tao sa kabila.

He was there, smiling at him. He had brown hair, neatly swept to the side. He looked young, as if he didn’t age at all. And Sehun gotta admit, he still looked pretty.

“Luhan,” Sehun muttered. He wasn’t sure if he’d rather see a ghost than see his ex in the library.

“Yes! Kumusta?” Yung tono ng boses ni Luhan halatang he was happy and excited to see him.

“I’m...yeah, good.” Sehun tried his best not to be awkward. “Didn’t expect to see you here?”

Luhan nodded. “Yeah, transferred just this sem.”

“So I heard.” Sehun smiled. “Looking for books?” He wasn’t exactly sure saan niya dapat dadalhin ‘tong conversation na ‘to.

“We’ve not seen each other in years and you ask me if I’m looking for books?” Natatawang sabi ni Luhan sabay tapik sa braso ni Sehun.

Just as it happened, biglang bumukas ang pinto at lumitaw si Jeonghan. Pakiramdam ni Sehun binuhusan siya ng isang drum ng nagyeyelong tubig. Jeonghan waved at him, at siyempre Sehun responded by waving back to which Luhan responded by looking behind him.

“Did you find it?” Sehun asked.

Jeonghan nodded, but he was looking at Luhan. “Yeah.”

“Uhm…” Sehun trailed off. Wala naman na siyang takas so he might as well introduce the both of them. “Jeonghan, this is Luhan. Luhan, this is Jeonghan.”

“Oh,” Luhan shifted to Jeonghan and extended an arm . “Hi. Yes, nice to meet you. I just transferred so you probably don’t know me yet.”

“Hi,” Jeonghan took Luhan’s hand and shook it. “Yoon Jeonghan. I think I saw you once. Pareho ba tayo ng course?”

“Comm Arts?”

“Yeah. Comm Arts. This is nice!”

Sehun just watched as how his ex and his current boyfriend seemed like were to bloom a new friendship right under his nose. He wasn’t sure what to feel about it.

“Ang galing. You have a friend who’s in the same program as mine,” Luhan said.

“Actually—” Sehun chuckled. _Friend_. Looks like Luhan wasn’t aware yet. Jeonghan looked at him with an awkward smile.

“How did...you and Sehun know each other?” Of course. Jeonghan asking the right questions, and Sehun felt his knees weaken.

“Ah,” Luhan said, sabay ng isang maikling tawa. “We went to the same high school.”

And that was his answer. Nothing more. And Sehun was grateful. Jeonghan nodded with a long “Oh.”

“Anyway, I need to go. I actually found what I was looking for,” sabi ni Luhan. He bid goodbye sa dalawa at mabilis na lumabas ng library.

Nang maiwan, agad tumingin si Jeonghan kay Sehun. “I think that name sounds familiar?”

“Yeah.” Napabuntong hininga si Sehun, as if it was a relief na wala na si Luhan sa harap nila.

“He’s your ex.” Jeonghan said.

“Yeah.” Sagot ni Sehun.

Then Jeonghan laughed, although he tried his best to tone it down a bit kasi nasa library nga sila. “Kaya pala para kang nakakita ng multo nung abutan kita.”

“Don’t laugh at me!” Sehun muttered. “It was awkward okay?”

But Jeonghan won’t stop laughing. “Cute mo.” Kinurot niya si Sehun sa tagiliran.

“Shut up. Halikan kita jan e.”

Biglang natigilan si Jeonghan at hinampas si Sehun sa braso. “Sira ka.”

“Bakit ba? Ayaw mo? Wala namang tao.” Nakahawak na si Sehun sa side ni Jeonghan, obviously teasing his boyfriend.

“Magtigil ka nga,” ani Jeonghan, although he wasn’t really doing anything para mahiwalay kay Sehun. It wasn’t long before Jeonghan’s pressed against one of the bookshelves and Sehun’s face was just an inch away from his.

“Baka may CCTV!” Bulong ni Jeonghan, nakahawak sa dibdib ni Sehun.

Parang walang narinig si Sehun kasi hinalikan na lang niya bigla si Jeonghan. Parang di rin naman nagaalala si Jeonghan dahil he kissed back.

“Oh! Oh my god. Sorry!”

Of course! Of course. May makakakita nanaman sa kanila at mapipilitan silang tumigil sa momol session. Sehun closed his eyes and quickly pulled away sabay ng pagtulak ni Jeonghan. At pareho silang nagulat na ang nakahuli pa sa kanila ay si Luhan.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Luhan said. He was flustered and awkward. “Nagkamali lang ako ng libro na nakuha. Sorry.”

Lumakad siya paloob ng aisle, passed right between the two at kinuha yung libro na dapat niyang kunin.

“I’m...good,” ani Luhan sabay angat ng libro to prove na his business was over. “Also...uhm, I heard you were dating someone,” nakatingin siya kay Sehun. “I didn’t expect it was him but uh, congrats?”

Nagkatinginan si Sehun at Jeonghan, and Sehun muttered, “Thanks?”

“B-bye,” mabilis na utal ni Luhan sabay ng mabilis na exit.

“ _He didn’t expect it was me_ ,’ Jeonghan said, mimicking Luhan’s tone “What does that mean?”

“I have no idea.” Sehun shrugged. Napabuntong hininga siya, at saktong may pumasok din pang isang grupo ng mga estudyante. He looked at Jeonghan with so much disappointment and frustration.

“I...guess we have to go now.” Jeonghan said defeatedly. Wala na rin naman silang magagawa.

 

Walang oras si Jeonghan to entertain small talk. That’s exactly why he chose yung pinakasulok at pinakadulong area ng cafe. He didn’t even bother texting Sehun para samahan siya para maka-concentrate siya sa gagawin niya. None of that explained why he had his laptop closed, doing no work, and talking to someone he never wished (at least today) to talk to: his boyfriend’s ex.

Hindi naman siya yung nag-initiate. Actually, when he saw Luhan enter the cafe, he immediately put on his earphones and pretended that his Spotify was on, and started typing kahit puro “banana watermelon” lang naman yung sinusulat niya sa doc. Pero sa kung ano mang dahilang tinadhana ng kalangitan ngayon, si Luhan ang nakapansin sa kaniya. Tinawag siya, at siyempre Jeonghan pretended he didn’t hear it. But Luhan’s voice was getting louder, at hindi na pwedeng hindi niya ‘to pansinin kasi papalapit na siya sa table. May kasalanan din naman si Jeonghan. Sinara niya laptop niya which probably made Luhan think that he was ready to entertain him. And so ito sila ngayon, sharing the same table.

Their conversation wasn’t shallow, surprisingly and thankfully. A bit of acad talk, some tips on how to navigate Luhan’s life as a Lasallian (dahil obviously, baguhan si Luhan), at usapang bakit nakakasuka ang mga Marcos apologist (sobrang click sila run). To Jeonghan’s relief, their conversation wasn’t bad at all. He’d probably regret the wasted time he could’ve spent on his paper pero so far he’s enjoying Luhan’s company naman.

“Anyway,” Luhan began. “I’m just curious. Gaano na kayo katagal ni Sehun pala?”

Welps. It looked like Luhan was slowly bringing up something he’s been trying not to but he couldn’t help. Pero sige, Jeonghan would give him the benefit of the doubt muna.

“Almost...three months.”

“Oh, cool.” Sabi ni Luhan. Humigop siya sa kape niya.

“Wait. I think over three months na,” Jeonghan corrected. “We don't keep track that much.”

“Ah, no monthsaries?” Luhan asked.

Jeonghan shook his head. He and Sehun weren't the type who'd keep track of monthsaries. Anniversary pa, oo. Pero monthsaries? Hassle kaya at gastos na every month may paganap kayo.

“That's weird and funny.” Luhan said, at napataas ng kilay si Jeonghan out of curiosity. “Wala lang. I mean he was the type to make it a big deal every month. But then...that was when we were in high school so he probably changed na.”

Jeonghan chuckled. Now it’s gotten a little awkward.

“Oh, sorry. I haven't mentioned that one pa pala…” Biglang sabi ni Luhan.

Umiling si Jeonghan. “No! No. It's okay. I know you're Sehun's ex.”

Now it’s ten times more awkward. Luhan just nodded.

“He's quite romantic. Mushy pa nga and sobrang cheesy,” he muttered. “I hope he still is sayo.”

Jeonghan wasn't exactly sure what to feel about this. You know, Luhan talking so comfortably about his ex. To his ex's current boyfriend pa for that matter. Siguro sobrang walang malisya lang talaga si Luhan or dense siya. So Jeonghan just nodded.

“Don't tell me he isn't?”

“He is!” Mabilis na sagot ni Jeonghan. “He really is.”

Suddenly his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket at natuwa nang makita niya ang pangalan ni Sehun na naka-flash sa screen. Actually kahit hindi pa si Sehun yung tumatawag okay lang e. Kung kanina komportable siyang makipagusap kay Luhan, ngayon he just needed to take a break and breathe. “Sorry, excuse me.” He said before answering the call.

As expected, Sehun was looking for him. Wala raw siya kasama kasi umuwi raw agad si Johnny at si Jongin naman, sinundo ni Chanyeol. And he wanted to eat. Jeonghan smiled. Perfect opportunity to make his way out of this situation.

“Sorry, I think I need to go,” Jeonghan said sabay ng pagligpit ng mga gamit niya sa table. “Sehun's looking for me and he wanted to eat daw.”

“Sure, sure. Go ahead,” ani Luhan. “Paki-hi na lang ako sa kaniya.”

Jeonghan said “sure” pero siyempre that was just because he was trying to be nice. Nagpaalam siya kay Luhan at dali-daling umalis.

 

“So I was with Luhan earlier,” Jeonghan said like it was a matter of fact. Suddenly, hindi siya sure kung tama bang ito rin bungad niya dahil hindi pa sila nakakahanap ng kakainan nila.

“Seryoso?” Biglang tumigil sa paglalakad si Sehun. “Bakit? Paano?”

So kinwento ni Jeonghan na biglang dumating si Luhan sa cafe kung nasaan siya, he invited himself sa table ni Jeonghan and they had an amazing talk about communications theory and why Marcos apologists suck until he mentioned na he was Sehun’s ex.

“That's…awkward.” Napakamot ng ulo si Sehun. “Did he say anything? Like...anything that made you feel uncomfortable?”

Jeonghan hummed. “Wala naman.” He lied. 

“Totoo?”

“Yes.” He lied again. 

In all honesty, the latter part of his time with Luhan was a bit uncomfortable. Sehun’s call just came at the perfect moment so he was saved, otherwise Jeonghan wasn't sure if makakaya pa niyang magstay lalo na kung nagpatuloy pa si Luhan talking about Sehun. It’s not like he was jealous. Heck, he was pretty sure Luhan wasn't intentionally trying to make Jeonghan feel jealous. Siguro obnoxious nga lang talaga siya. Pero mukhang stressed na rin si Sehun dahil dito. Well, he would understand—this situation was really awkward. But this wasn't Sehun's fault. It was just that the situation overall was making him...them a bit feel a little more antsy.

“Don't feel nervous nga,” Jeonghan said. Kinuha niya ang kamay ni Sehun and he held them tightly.

“Okay. Sabi mo e.” Humawak din si Sehun sa kamay ni Jeonghan. “So saan tayo kakain?”

“Ewan. Ikaw ang gutom.”

“Eh kung...ikaw na lang kainin ko?”

Nahampas bigla ni Jeonghan si Sehun. “Grabe ka!” Sabay tawa.

“Joke lang! Makapalo naman ‘to.” Biglang nag-pout si Sehun.

Hinimas himas ni Jeonghan yung pinalong part ng braso ni Sehun at nag-sorry. Deep inside though he felt a bit hot. Ang bilis ng takbo ng utak niya at kung ano agad naisip niya. He heaved a sigh. Not now, Jeonghan. Not now.

 

Jeonghan did the best he can para maiwasan si Luhan, or at least not to have any conversation mentioning Sehun. It wasn’t easy because for some reason, Luhan was everywhere. Nung di niya kakilala bihira niya makita. Ngayong magkakilala na sila parang araw-araw dama niya prisensiya ni kuya. Or probably because sobrang conscious lang siya kaya feeling niya di siya nilulubayan ni Luhan.

He had a few days of successes naman. Puro hi at hello lang muna sila. A bit of small talk and Jeonghan's attempts not to make it sound very awkward. Luhan didn't seem to notice a tinge of it anyway so Jeonghan thought he was doing a good job. Kaso minsan may mga pagkakataon talagang di siya bati kay tadhana. Tulad nang for the second time, Luhan spotted him in a cafe and of course the Mr. Congeniality he was, inivite niya ang sarili niya sa table ni Jeonghan.

It’s like deja vu. First they were talking about acads, mostly Luhan asking Jeonghan about stuff na di pa niya fully ma-grasp. Then second, they were into politics. And then, again, for some reason, nagawa ni Luhan na ma-segue to Sehun.

“I...hope you don’t mind me asking because I’m just really curious,” Luhan said.

Siguro nga naka-get over na siya pero Jeonghan still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact na Luhan was really just this comfortable sa pakikipagusap kay Jeonghan about his ex. He was half-annoyed and half-amazed at how Luhan does this.

“Do you have dogs?’ Luhan asked.

Tumango si Jeonghan. “I have dogs. Dalawa.”

“Oh, they get along well?”

Jeonghan nodded again. “Yes. Di ko pa naman sila nagkitang mag-away.”

“I see. Well, Sehun likes dogs. Have you introduced your pet to him?”

“Yes,” mabilis na sagot ni Jeonghan. Of course he knew Sehun loved dogs. So ito ba ang direksyon ng usapan nila? An ex’s advice to the current?

“Cool! I’m not sure if he still has a dog though. Back in high school he also had two.”

“He has three now,” Jeonghan added.

“That’s nice.”

Then they were silent. Perhos ilang uminom from their cups of coffee. Luhan was the one to break the slowly getting awkward atmosphere.

“He’s a good kisser.”

Halos mabuga ni Jeonghan yung natitirang kape sa loob ng bibig niya. “I’m sorry?”

“Oh, I mean, I just remembered seeing you and Sehun making out so...just stating a fact. From experience,” Luhan explained.

That sent a wave of emotions hitting the bottom of his stomach then up to his chest. Parang bato, tapos mabigat. Tapos bigla nabuo sa utak niya yung image ni high school Sehun kissing high school Luhan. He absolutely did not like it. But he was trying to be civil kaya in-attempt niyang kumalma.

“I see,” lang ang sinagot ni Jeonghan.

“Have you ever like…” Luhan trailed off. He tilted his head a bit tapos hindi na niya tinuloy yung tanong niya.

“Like…?”

Luhan shrugged. “Like ano...have you two done it?”

May hinuha na si Jeonghan kung ano ibig sabihin ni Luhan but he’d rather have a straightforward question kesa yung maging assumero siya. Chos.

“What do you mean?’

Lumapit si Luhan ng onti para hindi masyado malakas yung boses niya. “Kasi...like...have you two had sex na?”

Biglang natawa si Jeonghan. He wasn’t even sure why. Siguro kasi medyo intrusive na yung question to the point na nakakatawa na siya? And the fact na it’s Luhan who’s asking? Siyempre sinabayan rin siya ni Luhan ng tawa, although the question made Jeonghan blush.

“Why are you asking?” Binalik na lang ni Jeonghan yung tanong. Although he was laughing, he still thought Luhan was quite being nosy. If this was his attempt para maging close sila, this was not Jeonghan’s style.

“Nothing! I was just curious.” Luhan defensively raised both hands. “I mean...Sehun can get a bit easily horny at times. Mahilig. Ganun.”

Jeonghan shook his head. Natatawa pa rin siya. “I...I think that’s a bit too personal for me to answer. I’m sorry. I hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s okay! It’s okay,” Luhan said. “Don’t get the wrong idea though. It’s not like I’m wanting to have sex again with him or anything. Just curious.”

 _Again_. Napabuntong hininga si Jeonghan. Yeah, gets naman niya, na Luhan and Sehun probably had done more together, perhaps they’ve done even the nastiest of the nastiest. Di naman kailangang ipamukha ni Luhan sa kaniya ‘yun. They’re just three months into it, and they’re still trying to find each other’s boundaries and all. 

“Yeah, no biggie.” Jeonghan said. Inisip niya if kaya pa niyang tumagal sa ganitong conversation, considering what Luhan had been telling him so far. Pero naisip niya, he had been too nice for too long and if he’s feeling uncomfortable, he had all the right to excuse himself. And so he did.

“Well, I think I have to go,” patuloy niya. Mabilis niyang kinuha yung bag niya at sinabit sa balikat. He needed to show na aalis na talaga siya. “I still need to do some errands.”

Napatayo si Luhan. “Sure! No worries.”

Wala nang ibang sinabi si Jeonghan at dali-dali siyang umalis ng cafe.

 

“Hey, you still in campus?” Nakadikit ang phone ni Jeonghan sa tenga niya.

“Yes, why?” Sagot ni Sehun sa kabilang linya.

“Can we talk?”

For a second tahimik si Sehun. “Why? Anything wrong? Did something happen?”

“Hmm,” ani Jeonghan. “Kind of. Basta, don’t worry it’s not about us. It’s about someone else. Gusto ko lang maglabas ng sama ng loob.”

“Okay,” sagot ni Sehun. “I’ll see you in five minutes? Ligpit lang ako ng gamit.”

“Sure.”

 

Nasa loob sila ng kotse ni Sehun. Isang mahabang buntong hininga agad ang sinalubong ni Jeonghan the moment he closed the door.

“What’s wrong?”

“Not sure where to start but...it’s Luhan.”

Naramdaman ni Jeonghan na naging tense bigla yung posture ni Sehun. He leaned forward a bit and his brows furrowed slightly. “Why? What about him?”

At sinimulan nang ikwento ni Jeonghan yung parehong una at pangalawang beses na nagkasama at nagkausap sila ni Luhan. With every bit of detail he could remember. He knew he wouldn’t sound objective at all given na ang dami pa niyang dama (translation: inis) sa mga annoyingly unwelcome questions nito but he tried to be as calm as possible. Kumbaga kwento muna bago reactions.

And he also knew Sehun might get a little too mad than necessary.

“ _What the actual fuck?_ ”

Jeonghan sighed. See?

“That’s none of his business?”

“Exactly. But he’d always say he’s just curious.”

“Curious my face.” Sehun was clearly mad.

“I mean,” Jeonghan continued. “I’m not sure if intention niyang pagselosin ako? Or if totoo ngang curious lang talaga siya—”

“I doubt. And I mean not to be defensive but I honestly have not seen him again since the library.”

“I know,” Jeonghan nodded. “I just...I can’t understand why he’s telling me all that. Get ko naman na you and Luhan were exes at malamang you’ve probably done and said things we haven’t done and said to each other yet. Pero there’s no need to shove it to my face.”

“I’m sorry.”

Pinalo ni Jeonghan si Sehun. “Bakit ka nagso-sorry, sira ka ba?”

“Wala lang! I mean, I don’t know.”

“Nagso-sorry di naman pala alam bakit nagso-sorry. Sira.”

Natawa silang pareho.

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

“No! No,” Jeonghan said. “I’ve probably made my point naman na that he already crossed the line. Saka para wala na ring gulo.”

“But what if he does it again?”

“Then it’s my fault na.” Sehun raised a brow at him. “I mean alam ko naman na what makes me uncomfortable and I should let him know hanggang saan yung okay ako na pagusapan namin at hindi. To be fair, he’s a really good intellectual person and I enjoy our acads talk. Pero pag nase-segue niya patungkol sayo, suddenly it feels like he’s making it a point that he knows you more than I do.”

“I get you,” Sehun nodded. “But if he bothers you again, let me know.”

“I will.”

“Ayokong may nangaaway sa baby ko.”

Nanlaki ang mata ni Jeonghan sabay hampas nanaman kay Sehun. “Baby ko? Cheesy ampota kadiri ka! When did you start calling me that?”

Natawa lang si Sehun. “Ngayon? Bakit, ayaw mo ba, _baby ko_?”

“Aargh! Stop it!” Sigaw ni Jeonghan pero namumula na ang buo niyang mukha.

“You’re blushing! So you like it!”

“I don’t!”

“ _Baby ko._ ”

“Fuck you!”

“Sure.”

“Shut up!”

 

Para naman mawaglit muna sa isipan ni Jeonghan yung mga kaganapan the past days, um-oo siya nang mag-aya si Minhyun ng double date. It’s gonna be Jeonghan and Sehun plus Minhyun and Jonghyun. It wasn’t fancy. Just a hangout date. Sehun didn’t mind so everything was good.

They decided to watch a movie tapos dinner. And so far they were enjoying each other’s company.

“They were intimidating at first,’ Sehun confided kay Jeonghan.

“Paano?” Jeonghan asked.

“They looked very prim and proper. Which isn’t bad, of course,” Sehun explained.

“Actually,” tango ni Jeonghan.

“Parang walang maling gagawin sa buhay, ganong level.”

“Akala mo ang linis nila ano.”

Napatingin si Sehun kay Jeonghan. “Ha?”

“Alam mo sabi nila diba, kapag mga ganiyang tipo nasa loob ang kulo. Remember when Minhyun said isa lang ang niluluhuran niya at hindi yun simbahan?” Jeonghan had a mischievous smile on his face.

“Sabagay.” Sehun could only laugh.

Nang makahanap na sila ng makakainan—a bar restaurant—at finally settled na sa kanilang table, nagsimula na ang interview nila sa isa’t isa. Para raw mas masaya, they decided to play “Never Have I Ever.” Sehun and Jeonghan didn’t mind, so they ordered a pitcher of cocktail. Yung di masyadong matapang kasi they still had to drive.

“So sino una?” Tanong ni Jonghyun.

“Ako na,” Jeonghan quickly said. Wala nang nagawa yung tatlo at pumayag na sila. Tutal, sagot naman na raw ni Jeonghan yung pitcher.

“Never have I ever...kept a partner's item of clothing so I can sniff it.”

Naghiyawan sila dahil iskandaloso agad yung bungad sa kanila. 

Jeonghan had never done it and he was sure he had never left a single clothing sa kotse ni Sehun ever. He may have done it with Luhan—why was he even thinking about them right now? He shook his head. Bago pa siya mag-overthink, nilagyan ni Jeonghan ng laman ang baso nilang lahat at bumilang ng tatlo. 

Only Minhyun and Joghyun drank. Sehun and Jeonghan laughed out loudly. “Explain! Explain!”

Jonghyun was blushing so hard. “I once kept his shirt! It smelled really nice,” he said.

Minhyun buried his face sa kanyang kamay. “It...was...his boxers. But that was only once! Only once!”

Hindi nila napigilang magtawanan. Of course Minhyun had to be defensive but it really sounded funny especially when he really looked like he was about to attend a Bible study or something. (Jeonghan whispered to Sehun, “I told you.”)

Jonghyun was the next to task. “Never have I ever...been broken up with for being immature.”

There was a collective “Woah!” before they held their glasses. They all counted to three. Sehun and Minhyun drank.

The two decided not to spill too much details but that was the first time Jeonghan learned why Sehun had broken up with Luhan. Sehun had never talked about it before. Jeonghan knew it was Luhan because Sehun had never had a boyfriend since Luhan—who was his first actual relationship ever (the others were just flings). Pero hindi naman mukhang immature si Sehun. Or maybe he was back in high school. And that’s why he’s changed in college.

Sehun looked at him, raising both brows as if asking “Why?” Jeonghan just smiled and shook his head before reaching for Sehun’s hand and squeezing it gently.

The game carried on with a few more nakaka-iskandalong tanong: sexting (everyone drank), done pushups to impress someone (Sehun and Jeonghan did), woken up to someone I didn't recognize (Jonghyun did but that was a long time ago), flashed someone (Minhyun and Jonghyun drank because "We do that sa isa't isa"), and thought about someone else while on a date (no one took a shot).

“Alright! My turn!” Minhyun said. “Couple question so couple drinks.”

“Okay!”

“No holds barred ‘to ah,” Minhyun reminded and there was a collective hum of agreement. 

“Okay,” Minhyun said. “Never have I ever...needed to use three condoms in one day.”

“Ha?” Pinaulit ni Sehun kasi hindi niya masyadong narinig.

“Basically you had sex more than three times in one day,” Minhyun clarified like it was something they had always done. Although di sila naguusap, Jeonghan and Sehun knew the other pair would take their drinks.

Sehun just went “Aaah.” After counting to three, tama nga ang hinuha nila. Si Minhyun at Jonghyun lang yung uminom.

“Ang intense niyo a!” Sabi ni Jeonghan. “Three condoms, shet. Di ba nakakapagod?”

“Siya kasi!” Parehong tinuro ni Minhyun at Jonghyun ang isa’t isa.

“Pero teka!” Sigaw ni Minhyun in the middle of all the tuksuan. “So kayo, ano, dalawang condoms o more than three?”

Again, nagkatinginan si Sehun at Jeonghan. “Excuse me!” Jeonghan reacted. “Di kami kasing hayok niyo.”

“So ano nga?” Agad na tanong ni Minhyun.

“We haven’t done it actually.” Sehun answered quickly.

“Really?”

“Yet.” Pahabol ni Sehun. Nakatingin si Minhyun kay Jeonghan, disbelief so apparent in his face.

“Makatingin ‘to! Bakit ba, hindi naman required na agad agad diba?” Jeonghan was awkwardly trying to make it sound less awkward but what he said just made the air a lot denser. Sure they’ve seen each other sport hard-ons lalo na kapag intense makeout sessions pero never pa talaga nila napagusapan yung sex so…

“Wala naman ako sinasabi!” Paliwanag ni Minhyun. “I was just surprised. I mean, out of all my friends, ikaw kaya may pinakamaraming porn collection.”

“I didn’t know that!” Biglang sabi ni Sehun.

Jeonghan had his mouth open in defense pero wala siyang masabi. Kasi sa barkada nila ni Jeonghan at Minhyun, totoo. Si Jeonghan ang may pinakamaraming naka-save na porn videos sa laptop (minsan sa phone pa).

Sehun was jokingly poking Jeonghan on the side who was already blushing so much. Nang matapos ang tuksuan, agad nilang tinuloy ang laro hanggang sa maubos yung pitcher (they had to order another kasi natuwa sila masyado). Eventually they got tired of the game at naging kwentuhan na lang—minsan mababaw, madalas malalim na usapan. Before they knew it was almost midnight and they had to leave.

Nag-enjoy naman silang lahat. Sehun was glad he met the two kasi sobrang game lang sila (and also thankful for shattering his prim and proper first impression on them) and Jeonghan was just as happy. They promised each other to have more double dates in the future.

 

Nasa kotse na sila, si Sehun ang nagda-drive habang si Jeonghan ang nasa passenger seat (hindi raw niya pinagkakatiwalaan ang sarili niya ngayong mag-drive). For the most part ng biyahe, they were talking about Minhyun and Jonghyun, kasi keen si Jeonghan sa kung anong opinion ni Sehun sa mga kaibigan niya. This was their first double date at siyempre, excited si Jeonghan na maging kaibigan ni Sehun yung mga malapit rin sa kaniya.

Habang pinagkukwentuhan nila yung mga napagusapan nila kanina, hindi mapigilan ni Jeonghan na ibring-up yung isa sa mga sagot ni Sehun sa “Never Have I Ever.”

“Ah that one…” Sehun said.

“You don’t have to talk about it though if ayaw mo pang pag-usapan.”

“Why do you ask though?”

“Nothing,” Jeonghan shrugged. “Curious lang talaga ako. You’ve never mentioned ever so.”

Sehun nodded. “Hmm, it’s a thing of the past pero…”

“Again, no pressure. Don’t if you’re uncomfortable.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Sehun said. “Immature kasi ako dati.”

“I think when you took the shot you pretty much established that.”

“Intro kasi yun! Ano ba!” Sehun laughed at napa-roll na lang ng mata si Jeonghan. “Okay, well, kasi demanding kasi ako. Tapos insecure. Luhan’s older than me. He went to college habang ako nasa high school pa. Long story short, new environment, new priorities, we clashed a lot mostly dahil sa akin. I had more demands, he grew tired, and ayun, we broke up.”

“I see,” lang muna ang nasabi ni Jeonghan. He didn’t expect Sehun to fill in more details which was totally fine with him. Hindi lang niya ma-imagine how high school Sehun acted as a boyfriend. Sobrang iba na siya ngayon, or at least yung image niya ngayon. Sehun was one of the most mature persons Jeonghan has met in his life.

“No questions?”

Jeonghan shook his head. “I’m good with your kwento.”

“That was hardly a kwento.”

“Nah, we can talk about that next time.”

“Really, no questions?”

Jeonghan sighed. “Wala nga. Kulit! Gusto mo usisain ko ng sobra yung past mo, ganon?”

Natawa na lang si Sehun. “Okay, okay. Fine.”

Then Jeonghan suddenly remembered. “Actually! I have another.”

“Oh sure. Tutal traffic naman.”

Jeonghan fixed his posture and heaved a deep sigh. “Okay, I’m not sure if it was just me but...why is everyone suddenly asking us about sex?”

“Really?”

“Ah, so it was just me,” Jeonghan said.

“No! No, I mean…yeah, actually. I noticed that, too.” Sehun’s voice was a lot calmer and more serious this time. Hindi siya nakatingin kay Jeonghan kahit nakatigil naman ang sasakyan nila, pero it felt like he wanted to talk about this, too, for quite a time already.

“It’s not like I don’t want to, a?” Naka-defensive mode agad si Jeonghan, sensing na this conversation would be awkward. “It’s just that...wait, sorry! Sorry. Are we supposed to talk about this or do we just let things flow and wait for that time to...like, ayan. Andiyan na and we’re now on a point of no return.”

Sehun suddenly laughed. “Hey, I don’t mind talking about it.”

‘Okay.” Jeonghan felt so embarrassed that he could feel his face feel warm. Pero sinimulan niya so might as well tuloy na nila yung usapan. “Well, I just thought maybe it’s too early for it kasi we’re just what, three months into this relationship.”

“Jeonghan.” Simula ni Sehun. “We won’t do it if you don’t want it yet. I promise.”

“No, omg. Don’t get the wrong idea!” Jeonghan was almost frantically shaking his head. “I mean, it’s just a clash of what I expected versus what is really happening.”

Sehun raised his brows. “What?”

“Yung ideal versus reality. Ganon,” Jeonghan said. “Like you know nasa isip ko sex would happen like...parang at least a year into a relationship.”

Tinigil ni Jeonghan yung explanation. He knew Sehun wasn't dense and he waited for him to give a reaction.

“Pero yung reality is?”

Ramdam ni Jeonghan yung kabog ng dibdib niya. This was like love confessions part two pero this time iba ang sasabihin niya. Huminga ulit siya ng malalim. “I...well…”

He paused again and Sehun didn't say anything. Actually he was breathing heavily just as Jeonghan was.

“I...think you know. Sometimes I find myself wanting more than just making out.”

Nagulat sila nang biglang may bumusina sa kanila sa likuran. Nag-go na pala yung traffic at di pa sila umaandar. Agad kumambyo (no pun intended) si Sehun para umabante.

“Not saying that I wasn't expecting that,” Sehun said. Nakangiti siya pero halata sa boses niya na medyo may halo itong nginig. “But...it's difficult to react to that when you're driving okay!”

Jeonghan blinked for a second and then both of them were laughing the next.

“But that’s...uhm, I don’t know the most appropriate word so I’ll settle with nice to hear,” Sehun said. “And also I was about to talk about this na rin before. It’s just that I had to leave and I didn’t get to bring it up. So I’m glad you did ngayon. 

Jeonghan remembered. That one time na tinawag si Sehun ng group mates niya.

“Thanks for the alcohol I guess?” Sehun continued. “Quite brave of you to confess that to me.”

“Stop teasing me!” Jeonghan whined. “Ikaw ‘tong nagjo-joke na kesyo ako na lang ang kakainin mo imbis na yung pagkain.”

“It’s true though.”

“Aaagh!” Napatakip ng tenga si Jeonghan. “Your dirty talk is so cringy!”

“Hey, don’t judge!” Biglang sagot ni Sehun. “You haven’t really heard me do _real_ dirty talk yet.”

Napalunok na lang ng laway si Jeonghan and he felt a little too hot kahit nakatapat na sa kaniya yung aircon. He was glad it wasn’t just him kasi maya-maya pa ay tinaasan na rin ni Sehun yung aircon. But at least that one elephant in the room was all settled now. Ibang elepante na ang kanilang dapat pagusapan.

“May joke pala ako,” Sehun said.

Sinide-eye siya ni Jeonghan at nagpumilit si Sehun na masabi niya yung joke so pumayag na siya. “Sige, go.”

“Alam mo ba English ng santol?”

“Uh...hindi.”

“Where dude.”

Nakatitig lang si Jeonghan kay Sehun. Siguro mga five seconds. Nang wala pa ring reaction si Jeonghan, napa-grumble na lang si Sehun.

“Di mo gets?”

“Where dude?”

“Oo. Where, saan. Dude, ‘tol. Saan ‘tol. Santol!”

“Aargh!” Napakamot nanaman ng ulo si Jeonghan. He suddenly wished he didn’t hear the joke.

“Pero okay, totoo. English ng santol is cotton fruit.”

Jeonghan sighed. “Thanks for the trivia.”

“Gusto mo ba ng santol?”

“Joke nanaman ba ‘yan?”

“Hindi.”

“Okay lang.”

“Okay. So gusto mo ng pasantol ko?”

Jeonghan wasn’t sure bakit yung joke kanina hindi niya nakuha pero ito ang bilis niyang na-get. He covered his face with his hands as he yelled into his palms habang tumatawang mag-isa si Sehun.

 

“Hi.”

Nagulat si Jeonghan nang biglang may humila ng upuan sa tabi niya at umupo. Nasa library siya, nagtatapos ng paper. Wala siyang naalalang inimbita para samahan siya. He looked up and saw Luhan. Okay, here they go again.

“Hello.” Jeonghan mumbled and he went back to typing on his laptop.

“Paper?”

“Yeah.”

Luhan nodded. “Uhm, would you mind if we talk? Really short.”

Tumigil agad si Jeonghan sa pag-type. He wanted to say, _Yes, if tungkol lang din naman sa pagpapamukha mo na naging kayo ni Sehun ng mas matagal, I would mind_. Pero wala siyang will power to be rude. Classic libra. So he said no.

“Sorry.” Luhan went straight to the point. “I realized I may have come off as an obnoxious ex when we had conversations about Sehun.”

Jeonghan said nothing. He just nodded. But he was a bit glad Luhan realized it on his own.

“That wasn’t my intention,” patuloy ni Luhan. “I just...I don’t know how to phrase this.”

Wala pa ring imik si Jeonghan.

“It’s just, I have not seen Sehun again since we broke up,” Luhan said. “Ako. I was the one who broke up with him and between us, he was the most affected. I felt guilty na I hurt him that much. At kahit hindi naman na kami, at least as someone who had been with him for quite a time, I was genuinely worried and concerned. So when I learned that he was seeing someone right now, I was just happy. Genuinely happy.”

“Okay,” Jeonghan muttered.

“So, ayun. I thought I would share things about him, or at least the things about Sehun I know would not change. Kaso baka ang naging dating sayo, I was either trying to make you jealous or making you feel like you’re not enough.”

“Well.” Jeonghan sighed. “That...yeah, that was my impression.”

“I’m really sorry. I noticed you were trying to avoid me so I thought I did something wrong.”

Tumango ulit si Jeonghan. Wala pa siyang ibang maisip sabihin and honestly, he was still waiting for Luhan to say more.

“I’m not trying to take Sehun away from you either a, I hope you didn’t think I was,” Luhan had so much conviction saying it na agad agad naniwala si Jeonghan. “I’m dating someone else if that would convince you na I’m telling the truth.”

Jeonghan chuckled. “It did. Thanks.”

“I just wanted him to be happy and I think he is naman with you.”

“I think so, too.”

Then they fell into silence. It was a bit awkward pero kinailangan din niya ng onting time namnamin yung explanation ni Luhan. He didn’t feel guilty na pinagsuspetyahan niya si Luhan of ulterior motive but he appreciated Luhan’s honesty and sincerity right now.

“So we’re good now?”

Jeonghan thought he needed more space pero he felt unfair to treat Luhan as if he did something horribly wrong to him. Hindi naman. And he was quite satisfied with the explanation.

“Yep. Good. Promise I’ll make Sehun happy.”

Biglang ngumiti si Luhan, yung ngiting relieved na siya sa lahat ng problema niya, and they shook each other’s hand.

“And if he hurts you, let me know, too. Upakan natin siya pareho,” ani Luhan, pabiro. Jeonghan laughed. Being friends with your boyfriend’s ex, at least in his case, seemed not too bad at all.

 

“Jeonghan!” Tumatakbo si Johnny papalapit sa kaniya.

“Bakit?”

Nakapamewang Johnny, nakataas ang kamay kay Jeonghan to say “Wait, I need to breathe” bago niya inabot ang bag niya at naghalungkat. 

“Ito,” patuloy ni Johnny. May hinugot siyang envelope at inabot kay Jeonghan.

“Ano yan?”

“Galing kay Sehun.”

Napataas ng kilay si Jeonghan. Anong paganap nanaman ‘to? Ang ganda ng envelope a, parang invitation sa debut, or anniversary, ganon. Agad niya ‘tong binuksan at hinugot yung papel sa loob. He opened it and read:

_You, Mr. Yoon Jeonghan, are cordially invited to a one-night only romantic dinner with the most dashing man in the world, Mr. Oh Sehun._

_Join him as you celebrate the love you share together on March 14 at the Shangri-La Hotel at the Fort, 7:00 PM._

_(Actually he will pick you up so don't bother)_

_Please wear formal clothes. And do not forget to bring the item attached in this letter._

Wala namang nakadikit sa letter so tumingin siya sa envelope. Mukhang na-stuck siya sa gilid so tinaktak niya sa kamay niya. What fell on his palm initially looked like a candy until Johnny saw it.

“Wait, is that a condom?”

Jeonghan read kung ano yung nakasulat sa packaging and Johnny was right. Of course he would know!

“Did Sehun...give you a condom?”

Jeonghan was slowly turning red. At unti-unti na ring bumibilis yung tibok ng puso niya. “No! No we’ll just have dinner daw!”

Pero mukhang walang ubra ang paliwanag ni Jeonghan. Maya-maya pa ay naka-akbay na si Johnny.

“Shet, I’m so happy for you. You’re finally getting laid!”

“Tigilan mo ‘ko punyeta ka!”

Kinuha ni Jeonghan yung phone niya at agad tinext si Sehun.

“Hoy, ano ‘tong pinadala mo sakin!?”

A few seconds later nag-reply si Sehun. :--)

Isa nanamang buntong hininga. That’s it. It’s true. He’s _really finally_ getting laid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Merry Christmas. Happy new year!  
> 2\. Shet di pa rin ako makapaniwala. I finished a series! Di ko man natapos ang unang Big 4 AU but at least the second edition is finally over! Maraming maraming salamat sa mga nagbasa!  
> 3\. If you enjoyed, I would really love to hear (read) your comments! Sobra. I appreciate comments so much because they give me the will to live charot I mean to write more.  
> 4\. Kung nagtataka kayo bakit 10/11 ‘tong last chapter, meron pa po kasing omake chapter. Charot, omake? Manga? Haha. Paki-abangan! Not this year. Baka next year. Pero it will definitely _come_. Wink wonk.  
>  5\. Maraming salamat din kay @kametoahiru dahil siya ang naging dakilang gabay ko sa buong kwento ng Big 4 AU 2.0.  
> 6\. Pwede niyo po akong hamunin ng suntukan sa aking [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/myeontague).


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